Hard To Love You
by pandabear24
Summary: Summary: Kari is standing at the alter and is forced to choose between her fiance and a certain blue eyed, blonde man. Who will she choose?
1. Are You Happy Now

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

**THE FINAL STORY IN THE TK AND KARI TRILOGY!  
**(takes place after "Listen To Your Heart" and "You Save Me")

pandabear24- Well this is the first chapter of the last story in the trilogy!

Ken- That makes me kinda of sad.

pandabear24- Yeah, it makes me sad too! Do you realize I started this trilogy three years ago??

Ken- Are you serious?

pandabear24- Yeah, that's a long time to write something!

Ken- No, that's just laziness!

pandabear24- Yeah, you're right! How about the first disclaimer of the last story?

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon or Nascar. Please don't sue!

pandabear24- Just to warn ya'll, this story is gonna be a fast paced story that tends to jump around a lot! I hope ya enjoy it anyway! Now on with the story!

**_Rated M for bad language and sexual content in future chapters._**

**Hard to Love You  
**'Are You Happy Now'  
(don't own Michelle Branch either)  
01/01/08

"Kari you look beautiful!"

Kari smiled and whispered 'thank you'. She took one last good look around. Kari stood at the back of the most beautiful church she ever seen. She was wearing the most beautiful white dress she had ever wore. Every pew was filled, there had to be almost a thousand people about to witness her happy day. Her heart pounded faster as she heard those famous notes every bride wants to hear. Kevin, her dad and her brother Tai appeared out of no where to escort her down the isle to the man that would become her husband.

Kari took one last deep breath and started walking down the long isle. She saw many friends and family standing, crying and some taking pictures as she walked by. Kari tried to keep her composure and her focus on the man she was about to marry. Her eyes were starting to tear up and soon she couldn't tell who was standing at the alter waiting for her. Halfway down the isle, the pianist played a horrible wrong note and another and another and another and another...

Kari woke up from her dream to hear her alarm clock beeping. She sighed when she realized she never made it down the isle again. This was not the first time Kari had this same dream. For the past few months, Kari had this dream atleast once or twice a week. It always started and ended the same way. No matter how far she made it down the isle, she never saw the man she was about to marry. He was always there but he was always a blurred figure in her dream.

She got up and out of bed and got ready for another day of school. Kari was now a senior at Odiaba High School. She was still short and skinny as hell. She had long, straight, layered brown hair. The holidays were around the corner and soon she would be graduating. Kari wasn't sure what she wanted to be when she grew up. Part of her wanted to move back to America and be a Nascar pit reporter like she had always dreamed of when she was younger. But the other part of her wanted to stay in Japan with her long time boyfriend, TK, and pursue a career in teaching. But either way, Kari knew she wanted to get married and have a family. The sooner, the happier she would be.

TK and Kari were still one of the most popular students at Odiaba High School. TK was the star of the basketball team and had many college offers to play college ball. Kari was the captain of the cheerleading squad. Together, they were the stereotypical high school couple. TK still had his sorta long, shaggy blond hair. He was one of the tallest boys on the team and in the senior class. TK was still undecided about his future. He always dreamed of playing college basketball and hoped to make it to Japan's professional basketball league but now that all changed. TK realized his love for writing but he wasn't sure if he wanted to give up basketball.

Ken and Yolie graduated at the top of their class and were now freshman in college. Sometimes, they came back to Odiaba High School to visit their younger friends. Ken was majoring in criminal justice so he could one day be a detective. Yolie was only taking generals in college. All she wanted to be was a house wife and have a family. Yolie wouldn't have to wait long, Ken already bought an engagement ring and was about to purpose to her.

Jake and Davis remained very good friends with TK and Kari. With Ken and Yolie in college, the four of them usually hung out together. Jake and Davis still played basketball and started every game. Cody was now a sophomore in high school. He learned to trust Kari again and they now some what, kinda, sorta got along. Cody even kinda, sorta liked Kari now.

As Kari got ready for school and met up with her friends. TK, Kari, Davis, Jake and Cody still walked to school together everyday. Kari made the most of her time TK. TK never had much time to hang out anymore since he was working three jobs everyday after school. The only time Kari got to spend with TK was at school. He never told Kari why he worked three jobs, which always kinda made her worry. Kari knew TK would never cheat on her but there wasn't a day that went by when the thought crossed her mind.

"Are you excited for the game tonight TK?" Kari asked him

"Yeah, it should be a tough game" TK answered

"I heard the college scouts are gonna be there tonight to watch you TK" Davis said. Jake immediately elbowed him in the side.

"He wasn't suppose to know that idiot!" Jake whispered to him

Kari giggled and patted TK on the back. She knew TK would play awesome tonight, just like he played every night.

--

Yolie was walking from her parent's apartment to go to the basketball game. Every once in a while, she dropped by to see them. She loved college and living in a dorm, but sometimes she just needed that comfort of home. As she exited the elevator, TK came running through the apartment lobby.

"TK, shouldn't you be at the game?" Yolie asked him. She looked at her watch and saw the game started in twenty-five minutes.

"Yeah, I know! I still have to get my jersey and shit!" TK hurriedly replied. Yolie noticed him clutching something tightly in his hand. Her curiosity got the best of her.

"What's in your hand?" she asked

"Nothing" he quickly answered as he walked passed her.

"I can clearly see something. What is it?" Yolie asked

"It's a box" TK stopped and groaned, he was getting aggravated her with

"What's in the box?" asked Yolie

"Nothing!" TK answered. His frustration was clearly heard in his voice

"Oh come on TK. There has to be something in there!" Yolie replied

"No there isn't" TK said defensively

"Just tell me!" Yolie begged him

"Ok, if you must know. It's an engagement ring for Kari! There are you happy now? Now will you stop asking me questions so I can go get my stuff for my game?" TK asked

"You're gonna purpose to her?" Yolie asked. She felt bad for keeping TK late but she just had to know

"No, I'm going to purpose to my other girlfriend!" TK sarcastically replied

"You're cheating on Kari?" asked Yolie

"NO!" TK answered, "Yes I'm purposing to Kari!"

"Oh my gosh! When?" Yolie asked

"Ugh... I'm not sure. Maybe sometime around graduation or this summer. I don't know but you can't tell her anything or I will seriously kill you!" replied TK. "Ok, I seriously have to go Yolie."

"Well that would explain why he worked three jobs" Yolie said to herself as she started walking back to her old high school.

TK ran away from her before she couldn't ask anymore questions. He got in the elevator and repeatedly pushed the button to his floor. He ran into his apartment and grabbed his things. TK ran all the back to the school and quickly change into his uniform. He had just enough time to warm up before the game started. Odiaba was playing last year's championship team. It was going to be a very close game.

"Odiaba's down by one point and there is only a few seconds left on the clock! Takeru Takaishi has the ball. He dribbles left, he dribbles right picking off each defender! Only three seconds left on the clock, Takaishi shoots..." the announcer said as he stopped and waited to see if the ball would go in the hoop.

"He scores!" another announcer exclaimed. "Odiaba wins!"

The students rushed the floor and celebrated with their victorious team. Kari ran to TK and gave him a big kiss on the lips. She was so proud of him. She was sure the college scouts would be impressed and he would be getting another offer to play college basketball.

"I am so proud of you TK! I knew you would make that shot!" Kari told him

"Thanks Kari" TK replied and gave her kiss. A tall man in a red polo and black pants walked up to TK. Kari realized this had to be the college scout Davis was referring to earlier.

"It looks like I better go. I'll call you later hun" Kari said and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Kari left as the college scout talked to TK about his college plans. She went to go congratulate Davis and Jake. Kari didn't understand why college scouts didn't give them basketball scholarships. They were usually the teams top scorers behind TK yet they always got lost in TK's shadow. She felt bad for them because she knew they worked just as hard as TK.

"Good job guys! You did great tonight!" Kari said to the tired boys

"Thanks Kari" they both replied

"So what are you gonna do tonight?" asked Jake

"I don't know. I think I'm gonna go home. It's been a long week." Kari answered, "So I'll see you guys later"

Kari gave the sweaty boys a hug and started walking home. As she walked home she wondered how college would effect her relationship with TK. She still didn't know which college she wanted to go to let alone what she wanted to major in. The whole college thing gave her a headache. With Thanksgiving coming up in two weeks, she began to think about her plans for turkey day. TK and Kari always spent the day before Thanksgiving together. Each year they alternated spending the day at each other's houses. This year Kari was going to spend Thanksgiving with TK and his family. She was excited. She loved the little mini Thanksgiving dinners Nancy always prepared for TK and Kari. Kari walked into her apartment and saw her parents sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Kari! We're so glad you're home!" Karen said when Kari walked in the door

"Why?" asked Kari worriedly "Is something wrong?"

"We have good news!" Kevin replied

"Grandma's gonna be ok?" Kari asked. A few weeks ago, her grandmother became very ill. There was nothing the doctors could do to save her. It was only a matter of time before she passed away.

"Unfortunately no but something came in the mail today!" Kevin answered.

Kari walked over to the table where today's mail laid scattered on the table. Immediately she noticed an envelope addressed from America. Her parents had already opened it. She looked inside and saw a letter from her old boss, Rick Hendrick, two round trip tickets to America and two tickets to the final Nascar race of the season in Homestead, Florida.

"Are you guys going to Florida for the Homestead race?" asked Kari, kinda sad she wouldn't be able to go.

"We would like to but since grandma is sick, we are going to spend Thanksgiving here in Japan with her. But we don't want the tickets to go to waste so if you would want to go...you have our permission to skip this last Thanksgiving with grandma" Karen answered

Kari was torn. She wanted to go back to America, see all her friends again, and go to the races. But she wanted to stay in Odiaba with her family and her grandma.

"I don't know what to do" Kari replied

If Kari wanted to go to America, she would only have a few days to decide. Her plane would be leaving Wednesday morning with or without her. She would spend her weekend in Florida, fly back to Charlotte to spend Thanksgiving with Rick Hendrick and several of the Nascar drivers, and then fly back to Japan before school started again the Monday after Thanksgiving. She would be gone about ten days.

"It's up to you Kari. We respect your decision if you want to go. We won't force to stay here." Kevin said

"You don't think grandma would be upset do you?" Kari asked, tempted to go to America

"I don't know Kari." Karen answered

"I kinda wanna go" Kari replied, ashamed she wanted to skip out on her grandmother's last Thanksgiving

"We kinda figured you would" Kevin said

"Can TK come with me?" Kari asked curiously as she looked down at the two tickets in her hands

Kevin and Karen looked at each other before either of them answered. They both knew TK and Kari were very responsible young adults but they didn't want to leave them alone without adult supervision.

"We'll see" Karen answered

A few seconds later Kari heard her phone ring. She reached into her purse to see who was calling her. When she saw it was TK calling her, she walked into her room and closed the door. Kari hated it when her parents ease dropped on their conversations.

"Hey TK!" Kari greeted him, "Random question. Do you want to go to America with me?"

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pandabear24- I hope ya'll enjoyed my short prologue!! **Please review!! **Muchas gracias!


	2. Hate That I Love You

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT**own Digimon or Nascar or Degrassi. Please don't sue

pandabear24- On with the story!

Ken- Woah...you don't have anything to say?

pandabear24- Only, **THANK YOU** to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Keep them coming! Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Hate That I Love You'  
(don't own Rihanna either)

"America?" TK asked, making sure he heard her right.

"Yeah. Do you want to go to America with me?" Kari asked again

"Why are you going to America?" he asked

"Ok, so my old boss Rick Hendrick sent mom and dad tickets for next weekend's Nascar race in Florida. But mom and dad don't want to go because grandma is really sick again. So they gave the tickets to me and I have an extra ticket soooo?" explained Kari, "Do you want to go with me?"

"That sounds like a lot of fun but I'd have to ask mom and dad." TK replied, "But when would we leave? How long would we be gone? I don't want to miss one of my basketball games"

"Our plane leaves next Wednesday, so you five days to decide if you want to come or not. And we probably wouldn't get back until the day before we go back to school which would be Sunday night. So we would be gone about...ten days" Kari answered

"Ten days?!" TK exclaimed, "What about Thanksgiving?"

"We would have it in America" answered Kari

"Where would we stay? How are we going to pay for all this? How.." TK asked as Kari interrupted him

"Don't worry TK! It's all planned out. All we have to do is show up!" Kari assured him over the phone

"I don't know Kari. I'm not sure mom and dad would let me go and its kinda a lot of school to miss" TK replied

"I understand. I just thought it would be a good way to spend some quality time together since you've been so busy working for the past few months." Kari said sadly.

"I'll think about it okay?" TK asked.

"Okay" Kari replied. "So did that college scout offer you a basketball scholarship?"

"Yeah" TK answered, "But now that's the fifth basketball scholarship I've been offered and I still don't know where I want to go"

"Well sometimes you just have follow the money" Kari replied, "And where ever you go, I'm going with you"

"So if I decided to go to college in Timbuktu, you'd come with me?" TK asked

"Well...I wouldn't follow you _that _far!" Kari joked and laughed

"Anyway, I think I'm gonna go. Coach wants to have an early Saturday morning practice" TK said, "I'll talk to you later"

"Alright. Talk to your mom and dad about coming to America with me, ok?" Kari replied

"Ok" TK answered, "Love you"

"I love you too!" Kari replied and hung up

--

"Kari wants you to do what?" Jake asked TK while walking to school Monday morning

"She wants me to come to America with her for ten days!" TK answered

"What the hell for?" asked Davis

"I guess her old boss gave her parents some tickets to a Nascar race and they gave them to her. She had an extra ticket and asked if I wanted to go" TK explained to the boys

"Are you going to go?" asked Cody

"I don't know if I want to. I kinda suck at speaking English" TK answered

"Are you crazy?" Davis asked, "Ten days alone with Kari without adult supervision! You should be jumping at the chance!"

"Yeah TK, just cause you can't speak fluent English shouldn't hold you back from taking a once in a lifetime opportunity!" said Jake, "I would totally go to America for ten days if my girlfriend had free tickets!"

"I still don't know" TK replied, "She'll probably want to hang out with all her old friends than want to spend time with me"

"I got it! Why don't you ask someone who knows all her old friends!" Jake suggested

"Like who?" TK asked

"Duh...her ex-boyfriend, Willis!" Jake answered, "I bet he could tell you everything about them!

"Willis and I aren't exactly on the best speaking terms" TK replied

"Well think about it this way. Would you rather... not go and wonder what Kari did while she was gone or go and have fun?" Davis said

"I never thought about it like that" replied TK, "Maybe I should talk to Willis"

TK walked to his locker where Kari was waiting for him. They hugged and kissed each other and talked for a few minutes before they had to go to class. While they walked to class Kari asked him about coming to America.

"So did you ask your parents if you can go?" Kari asked anxiously

"Yeah and they said I could go" TK answered, "But I'm not sure if I want to go"

"Oh" Kari replied disappointedly, "Well I really want you to go with me! I hope you decided to come! You only have one more day to decide"

The two walked to their first period class. The morning classes passed by so slowly as TK couldn't wait for lunch. He wanted to talk to Willis and get his opinion. TK knew if he talked to Willis, it would help him decide if he wanted to go or not. After TK went through the lunch line he went and sat down beside Willis while Kari sat with the other cheerleaders. Willis was shocked to see TK sitting at his table with him.

"Shouldn't you be eating lunch with the rest of your popular friends?" Willis asked

"The reason I'm eating with you is because I want to ask you a question" TK explained, trying to avoid an argument of any kind

"Well?" Willis asked, waiting for his question

"What can you tell me about Kari's friends from America?" TK asked

"What?" Willis asked confused and suspiciously, "Why?"

"Kari's old boss sent her parents some tickets to a Nascar race but they don't want to go. So they gave the tickets to Kari and she asked if I want to go. But I don't know if I want to go. So I was wondering if you could tell me about her friends?" TK explained

"Our friends from Degrassi are pretty cool. Her and Spinner use to be pretty tight. I think they actually dated back like in the 6th grade. I'd maybe watch out for him but the last time I talked to him he had a girlfriend, but you never know with him." Willis explained to TK. "But her Nascar friends..."

"What about them?" TK desperately wanted to know

"Well Jeff and Jimmie are married but they really like Kari. I suppose they think she's the teenage daughter they don't have yet, I don't know. But I'd watch out for Reed, Kyle and Brian." Willis warned him, "Especially Brian. Even back when Kari and I use to date, I swear those two spent more time with each other than her and I spent together. In fact, Brian dumped his long time girlfriend for her! But he'll never admit that. However Kari knows that and she's always felt really bad about"

"So that's what Gatomon was talking about after Kari destroyed Daemon and almost died." TK said to himself (**A/N-** Chapter 14 in Listen to Your Heart)

"Yeah, anyway, Brian likes to spoil her rotten. I can't tell you how many times Kari came home from the races and she was wearing some expensive piece of jewelry Brian bought her. He likes to take her to fancy, expensive restaurants, big movie premieres and a whole bunch of other places I don't even know about." Willis said

"Maybe I should consider going then" TK replied

"Consider?" Willis exclaimed, "You should _want_ to go! If you still want Kari to be your girlfriend, you better go and keep her away from Brian!"

"I thought he was a nice guy?" TK asked

"Oh, Brian is a nice guy. He's one of the nicest drivers in Nascar. He just likes to steal other people's girlfriends." Willis answered (**A/N**- For the record...Brian doesn't actually steal other people's girlfriends!), "The thing is, Brian is seven years older than Kari. I think that's what kept Brian from pursuing an actual relationship with her. He would have gotten thrown in jail if he did cause she was only fifteen back then"

"Wow, thanks so much Willis" TK thanked him "I'm gonna go with her now"

"Yeah, whatever" Willis replied coldly, "Just keep Kari away from Brian and you'll be fine"

TK got up and went to eat with Jake and Davis. When he finished eating, TK went looking for Kari to tell her his decision. He found her in the courtyard with some of the other cheerleaders. TK led Kari away from her friends to he could tell her his good news.

"Oh TK! I'm so excited!" Kari exclaimed jumping up and down in excitement. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. "Do you want me to help you pack or are you working tonight?"

"Actually I quit my jobs" TK answered

"What? All three of them?" Kari asked and TK nodded his head, "I don't get it! All of a sudden you get three jobs all at the same time and now you're quitting all three of them?"

"Yeah, I was saving up money to buy something really important and now that I have enough money I don't need to work anymore" TK explained to her

"So what are you going to buy?" Kari asked

"I already bought it" TK replied, avoiding her question

"Well...what did you buy?" Kari asked

"I can't tell you. It would ruin the surprise" TK answered

"Oh come on TK, now you have to tell me!" Kari replied

"Nope" TK said, "I'm not telling"

"Ugh...I hate that I love you!" Kari said jokingly

"Well, I love that I love you" TK replied

"And I love that I love you too!" Kari said and kissed him again

"So do you want to come over and help me pack?" asked TK

"Yeah, I'll be there" Kari answered, "Oh, I'm soooo excited!"

"Me too" said TK, "Me too"

"So what did you buy?" Kari asked again

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pandabear24- Brian and Kari sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Haha...just kidding... or not...just kidding... or not...oh you'll just have to keep reading!


	3. I Love Nascar

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- Thank ya to everyone who reviewed!! It's greatly appreciated!

Ken- pandabear **DOES NOT **own Digimon or Nascar or Degrassi. Please don't sue!

pandabear24- Awesome as always Ken!

Ken- Thanks...on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'I Love Nascar'  
(don't own Cletius T. Judd either)

"I'm so excited!' Kari exclaimed as she handed her ticket and passport to the lady behind the counter

"Me too" TK replied as he did the same thing.

The two teenagers walked through the tunnel to the plane and they sat down in their seats. As they waited for the plane to take off, Kari told TK stories of her and her friends from America. Many of them included Brian which made TK worry about what would happen on this trip. He was glad he talked to Willis about Brian and the rest of her friends. Now he kinda knew what to expect when he would meet them.

It was a long flight that involved switching flights several times. TK was glad he didn't have to pay for all this, just the airline tickets themselves were expensive let alone this entire trip. The plane landed in California first where TK and Kari had to get on another plane to New York City. When they got The Big Apple, they had a five hour layover and finally switched planes to Homestead, Florida. The plane landed in Homestead later that night. When they got to the airport, no one had shown up to pick them up. With some time to kill, the two wandered around the airport.

"Look what I bought you" TK said to Kari and held out a little black box

"Oh my gosh!" Kari exclaimed when she opened the box and pulled out a key chain and read what it said, "I love my boyfriend but I love Nascar more!"

Kari laughed and gave him a hug. She loved the key chain, it was kinda, sorta true! TK and Kari continued to wander until they found a place to sit. Kari rested her head on TK and closed her eyes. TK couldn't image Kari ever leaving him for Brian or Spinner. He held her small, slender body in his arms, enjoying the moment. It didn't last long before Kari's phone rang, TK was sure it was one of her Nascar driver friends. Kari quickly got up and led TK through the airport to where someone was waiting to pick them up.

"Jeff! Jimmie!" Kari exclaimed and ran to two older men holding a white sign with their names written on it

"Kari!" They exclaimed and hugged her

"I've missed ya like crazy!" Jeff said to her

"It hasn't been the same around HMS without ya!" said Jimmie as he hugged her again

"I've missed you guys too!" Kari replied. She turned around and saw TK standing alone and looking out of place. "Jeff, Jimmie, this is my boyfriend TK. TK, this is Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson"

"It's nice to meet you TK" Jeff said and shook his hand

"It's an honor to meet you too" TK replied in his best English, "Kari has told me so much about you two!"

"Kari, we have a surprise for ya!" Jimmie said with a huge smile on his face

"Is Tai here?" she asked anxiously. Jimmie shook his head no but still had a huge smile on his face. "Well, what is it?"

"Turn around" said Jeff as he pointed to someone behind her

"BRIAN!" Kari exclaimed and ran to him as fast as she could to give him a hug, almost knocking him to the ground. "I've missed you soooo much!"

"I've missed ya too Kari!" Brian replied, "You've lost your southern accent!"

"Yeah, I don't talk like a hillbilly anymore" Kari joked and hugged him again

They stood in the middle of the airport hugging each other, waiting for the other one to let go. TK stood there watching his girlfriend hug a guy he knew who liked her more than just a friend. He didn't know what to do but he didn't want to make a bad impression on her driver friends. Jeff and Jimmie beamed as they watched to the two hug.

"I'm telling ya Jimmie, those two are destined to be with each other" Jeff said to his racing teammate. Jimmie immediately elbowed him in the ribs.

TK looked at Jeff and Jimmie and than back at Brian and Kari. Hearing Jeff say that about Brian and his girlfriend made TK very upset and angry. TK knew what he had to do.

"I...I...I... was just kidding!" Jeff stuttered realizing his mistake

TK ignored Jeff's apology and walked up to Brian and Kari. He grabbed the back of Brian's shirt and pulled him away from her.

"TK! What are you doing?" Kari exclaimed before TK kissed her in front of Brian, Jeff and Jimmie.

"She's_ my _girlfriend, so lay off!" TK threatened Brian

"TK!" Kari yelled at him

"How about we get going huh?" Jeff suggested, feeling the tension in the air

"Come on Kari, Rick is waiting to see ya at the track!" Jimmie said as he and Jeff lead her out of the airport.

"Ya don't own her. She is just as much mine as she is yours. But hey, we'll see who Kari chooses when or _if _she goes back to Japan." Brian said coldly as he walked by TK, following the others

"Yeah, thats right. She'll be going back with me" TK replied

Brian stopped dead in his tracks. He slowly turned around and walked back to TK. Brian angrily starred at TK, thinking of something to say while he tried to control his anger.

"I can make her stay just...like...that" Brian replied has his snapped his fingers.

Hearing Brian say that made TK snap. His jealousy and anger got the best of him. He clenched his fist and took a swing at Brian. Just as he did, Kari turned around to see her boyfriend attacking her best friend. Brian ducked and punched TK in the gut. TK fought through the pain and kept attacking Brian.

"TK!" Kari exclaimed, shocked to see her boyfriend and best friend fighting

A small crowd had already gathered around them, watching Brian and TK fight. Kari ran back to them while Jeff and Jimmie quickly followed her. Jeff and Jimmie stood there, watching the two fight, not even trying to stop them. Kari felt so helpless but she had to do something. She ran up to TK and Brian, trying to get between them.

"Will you two knock if off?" Kari yelled at them, but they kept fighting

"Get out of the way Kari" TK said aggravatingly

"Let us handle this" said Brian as he kept attacking TK

Kari got pushed away by the two while they continued to fight. She begged and pleaded with them to stop but they wouldn't. She had to stop them before the airport security would come and throw them all out. Kari jumped back in the middle of the two, trying to push them away from each other.

"Stop it guys!" yelled Kari

"I told ya stay out of this Kar!" TK replied and he pushed her away, making her fall to the ground.

Kari wasn't going to let them keep fighting. Brian had to race in three days, he couldn't afford to go to jail and miss the race. She got up off the floor and was determined more than ever to break them up. She tried pulling TK away from Brian but when she couldn't separate them, she decided to get between them again. As soon as Kari did, TK took another swing at Brian. When TK realized what he was about to do, it was too late to stop. Instead of hitting Brian, TK accidentally hit Kari in the face, knocking her into Brian's arms. Jeff and Jimmie came running to her side to see if she was alright. She was already crying from the pain as her left eye was starting to swell.

"Oh my gosh Kari! I'm so incredably sorry!" TK immediately apologized

Brian cradled Kari like a little child, rocking her back and forth as she continued to cry. TK tried to get close to her but the shock from him hitting her made her scared of him. The closer he came, the more she wanted to get away from him, but Brian's strong arms kept her safe from TK. Brian picked her up and carried her bridal style to the nearest open chair.

"Kari, I'm so sorry!" TK apologized again

"Just stay away from her! Ya have already caused enough damage for one day!" Brian yelled at him

"I'll go get some ice" Jeff said and jogged away

"I'm gonna go find one of those airport golf carts" Jimmie said and he jogged away too

Kari continue to cry in her chair as Brian kneeled down in front of her, examining her eye. Brian wiped away her tears and TK stood and helplessly watched from a distance. TK couldn't believe how quickly things went from so good to so terribly bad. He regretted getting in that fist fight with Brian. He regretted getting so jealous and now he was regretting even coming on this trip.

_'Way to go TK. You really fucked up now!' _TK thought to himself as he watched Kari cry some more.

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pandabear24- Please review!!


	4. I Don't Wanna Be In Love

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- **THANK YOU **to everyone who reviewed!! I love hearing what ya'll have to say!! Keep them coming!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon or Nascar...please don't sue!

pandabear24- Did I ever tell you I love your new short disclaimers?

Ken- No, but I think simple is best

pandabear24- You know...I think so too!

Ken- On with the story!

pandbear24- BTW...Brian Vickers is a really nice guy in real life. In these first few chapters, he is extremely out of character. It made me laugh reading all the negative comments about him since he is such a nice, down-to-earth guy!

**Hard to Love You  
**'I Don't Wanna Be In Love'  
(don't own Good Charlotte either)

Jeff was driving the rented mini-van back to the track while Jimmie sat beside him in the passenger seat. Jimmie had paid the security guards a thousand dollars not to arrest Brian and TK for causing a public disturbance. Brian and Kari both sat behind them. Kari's left eye was swollen shut and had turned black and blue. She sobbed as Brian held her, comforting her the best he could while TK sat by himself in the backseat with the luggage. Kari wouldn't even look at TK or even let him get near her. She was terrified and scared of TK. Just looking at him brought back the fear and pain of TK hitting her again

Jeff pulled into the motor coach lot where all the drivers, crew chiefs, owners, and famous Nascar broadcasting people stayed. They stopped at a black and silver motor coach where Jimmie and his wife Chandra stayed during the racing weekends. Chandra knew they were coming and waited anxiously by the door to see her old friend again. When Jimmie and Brian helped Kari in the motor coach, Chandra was shocked to her in such a horrible condition. Chandra ran towards her anyway and gave her a big hug. Seeing Chandra again made Kari smile for the first time since the incident at the airport.

"Oh my gosh Kari! What happened? Do you need ice? Do you want some aspirin?" Chandra asked. When Kari nodded her head, Chandra went to the freezer and brought her an ice pack and Jimmie went to get her some aspirin.

Jeff, Jimmie, Chandra, Brian and Kari all sat down on the couch while TK preferred to stand near the door. Jimmie preceded to tell the story of what happened in the airport. He purposely made TK sound like an evil monster but TK didn't even bother or try to defend himself. He felt so bad, he wanted to wallow in his own guilt and regret.

"How could ya hit your own girlfriend?" Jimmie asked TK in disgust when he finished the story. TK didn't answer, he simply looked away. "Kari, ya deserve better than that!"

Kari also looked away and layed her head on a soft pillow near by. A million thoughts were running through her head. Her heart still loved TK and wanted to over look this mishap but her head hated TK for starting a fight with Brian and yet was scared he would hit her again. There was an awkward silence for several minutes before Jeff received a text message from his wife, Ingrid.

"Well, I suppose I better go" Jeff said as he got up and walked toward the door. "Where is he gonna stay now?"

Kari's parents made sure that Kari and TK would not be staying in the same motor coach at the track and would be sleeping in different rooms at Rick Hendrick's house. Kari was going to stay with Jimmie and Chandra at the track. TK was going to stay with Brian but after their little fist fight it was apparent they wouldn't be staying together.

"I don't know" Jimmie answered

"There is no way he is staying with me" Brian retorted. The drivers spoke like TK wasn't even in the room.

"Well maybe he could stay with Tony (Stewart)?" Jeff suggested

"Maybe. Are ya sure he can't stay with ya?" Jimmie asked

"There is barely enough room with Ingrid, Ella and me in our motor coach. There wouldn't be enough room for one more person" Jeff explained

"I bet Tony would let him stay just for the weekend" Jimmie replied

"Maybe. Come on TK. Let's see if we can find a place for you to stay" Jeff said and TK followed him out the door.

Shortly after, Jimmie and Chandra went out for their walk around the track. It was a little ritual they started a few years after they got married. It was their time to spend together while getting some exercise. Brian stayed with Kari as they layed on the couch together. Brian held Kari protectively in his arms. They layed there in silence both trying to think of something to say. Kari hadn't said a word since the incident at the airport. Her mind kept replaying the fight over and over again. She kept seeing TK's fist flying at her and it made her even more scared of TK.

Kari eventually fell asleep in Brian's arms. When Jimmie and Chandra returned, Brian gently layed her head down on a soft pillow. She woke up from the suttle movement but pretended to still be asleep. Chandra went and got an extra blanket and layed it over her fragile little body.

"Poor thing" Chandra whispered to the drivers, "She must be traumatized"

"Who would hit their own girlfriend?" Brian angrily whispered back

"I don't think he did it on purpose Brian" Chandra replied

"Still...who does that?" Brian retorted

"Brian, I know ya too well. I know this is _exactly _what ya wanted. I hope ya don't go and try to break them up." Jimmie said

"Do ya think I want to date a seventeen year old girl? Cause I don't! I don't wanna be in love but I am and I can't help that!" Brian angrily replied

"Well ya better try harder than cause you're doing a shitty job of it" said Jimmie and Brian angrily left

Kari was shocked. She always kinda knew Brian liked her but she didn't think he loved her. As if her head and heart weren't hurting enough, hearing Brian profess his love for her only made things worse. Kari really did care for Brian but she wasn't sure if it was just a close friendship or if she really loved him too. There was a certain connection Kari shared with Brian that she didn't share with anyone else, not even TK.

Kari layed on the couch until she was sure Jimmie and Chandra were asleep. She got up and went to the front of the motorcoach and sat in the driver seat. She turned on a near by light and looked in the mirror. Kari couldn't even look at herself. She could barely open her left eye. It was almost swollen shut and was deeply bruised. It was one bruise not even her giant sunglasses could cover up.

She went back to her suitcase and grabbed her laptop and D-3. She held the D-3 up to the screen and the digi-gate immediately popped up. Kari whispered the famous words that opened the gate. She landed in the Digital World and walked to the nearest TV portal and transported back to the real world. She was going to portal hop all the way back to Japan. Kari finally made it back to her room back in Japan. The loud thud woke Gatomon from her catnap. In the broad daylight, it didn't take Gatomon long to notice Kari's black and blue eye.

"Oh my gosh Kari! What happened?" Gatomon exclaimed as she rushed to Kari's side.

Just thinking about the incident back at the airport made Kari cry. Gatomon hugged and comforted her partner as she broke down in tears. Gatomon knew something serious had happened.

"Is there anything I can do?" Gatomon asked and Kari nodded her head. She pointed to the bruise on her eye and Gatomon knew exactly what she wanted her to do. "Ya want me to get rid of that bruise don't ya?" Kari nodded her head again. "I suppose I can do it"

Gatomon digivolved to Angewomon and used her healing powers to help heal her bruise. The process used up all of Gatomon's energy and she dedigivolved back into Gatomon. Kari's swelling had gone down considerably and it made Kari happier.

"Thank you Gatomon" Kari managed to say, "I'm sorry for showing up like this"

"It's ok Kari. I know ya will tell me what's wrong when the time is right" Gatomon replied which made Kari smile.

They hugged before Kari portal hopped back to America. Kari was back on the couch before sunrise and before Jimmie and Chandra could even notice she was gone. Kari looked in the mirror to see her eye looked much better. Now her giant sunglasses covered her black eye, which made Kari even happier. The sun was starting to rise and Kari knew Jimmie and Chandra would be up soon. She quickly and quietly walked back to the couch and fell asleep.

She woke up a few hours later. Chandra was sitting at the kitchen table watching her husband's lap times during qualifying practice. When Chandra noticed she was awake she got up to sit down by Kari.

"Oh my gosh Kari." Chandra exclaimed, "Your swelling has gone down! I've never seen a black eye heal so fast!" The compliment made Kari smile. "Do ya want to talk about it?"

"I don't know what to do Chandi" Kari replied, using Chandra's popular nickname. "I still love TK with all my heart but part of me hates him for even starting that stupid fight. And every time I see him, I get these horrible flashbacks of him hitting me. I'm so scared he'll hit me again."

"I have a friend who was in an abusive relationship and she says that she gets flashbacks of her boyfriend hitting her too. So its normal if ya get flashbacks too. I think ya should try talking to TK and hear his side of the story because as much as Jimmie loves to tell stories, I know he likes to over exaggerate them. And then talk to Brian because I'm sure he has a different version of it too, which I'm sure is probably gonna sound a lot like Jimmie's version. Then use your heart and do what is best for ya." said Chandra

"Thanks Chandi" replied Kari, "I think I'm gonna do that."

"You're than welcome Kari." Chandra said as she hugged her

As the two friends hugged, there was a knock at the door. Kari knew exactly who it was. She knew the drivers were still practicing for qualifying later that day. Chandra got up and answered the door. TK looked up at her. He looked absolutely horrible, as if he hadn't slept in days.

"Can I come in?"

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pandabear24- Please review!! Muchas Gracias!


	5. Complicated

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- **MUCHAS GRASIAS** to everyone who reviewed!! You guys rock my socks off!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon, Nascar or Degrassi so please don't sue!

pandabear24- On with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Complicated'  
(don't own Avril Lavigne either)

"Can I come in?" TK asked

"Um...yeah sure!" Chandra replied and reluctantly let TK in

TK could see the fear in Kari's eyes. It hurt him deeply to see her like that. It made him feel so guilty about the fight and made him regret even starting it. He walked towards her but Kari rolled up in a fetal position, protecting herself as if TK was going to hit her again. TK stopped, knowing it was no use in trying to get any closer to her.

"Kari I'm so sorry" he apologized which only made Kari cry

"Um...Kari would like to hear your version of what happened yesterday" Chandra said, trying to help her out

"Kari you know I would never intentionally hit you. I was threatened by Brian. I didn't like how close you two were. He pretty much told me he loved you and he was going to try and steal you away from me. I couldn't control my anger and I tried to punch him but he ducked and he punched me instead. And then you know the rest. I am so sorry Kari. I would never try to hurt you. I love you too much. I already lost you once before, I don't want to lose you again! "

Kari knew he was telling the truth, he would never lie to her. But as much as she wanted to forgive and forget, something just wouldn't let her do that. Part of her still hated him and another part of her was still very scared by him. Chandra could see it in her eyes.

"I think ya should leave" Chandra suggested

"But I don't know where to go. I don't know what to do" TK said sheepishly

Chandra felt bad for him. Kari brought him along to have a good time but neither of them were having a good time. She went to her laptop that still layed on the table and printed him a map of the infield."

"Do ya have your infield pass that Mr. Hendrick gave you?" Chandra asked and he nodded his head. "Ok, that will get ya into almost anything here in the infield. Here is a map so ya won't get lost. I even circled where our motorcoach is and where Tony's is located. Just go out there and walk around. Ya are surrounded by forty-three of America's best and most famous Nascar drivers. Go get autographs and pictures. There are millions of fans who would kill to have what ya have in your hand" Chandra explained

TK understood the power the infield pass had and all the things he could do with it, but he was kinda scare to go walk around the infield by himself. He had never been to a race in his life. This was completely new to him. He wished Kari would come with him and show him around. Before TK left the motorcoach, he looked at Kari one last time and walked away.

An hour later, Kari grabbed her pass and her sunglasses and decided to go walk around the infield too. She passed TK several times on pit road and in the garage area, but she ignored him as if she didn't even know him. She talked to many of her driver friends, catching up on old times and taking pictures with them. TK talked to famous reporters and journalists, asking questions about the career he was thinking about pursuing and trying to make connections. Every time he talked to a reporter or a driver, they would ask him if he was the guy who punched Kari. TK realized if he wanted an autograph or a picture, he had to lie and say no.

TK walked around the infield until the truck race started later that day. He watched the race from pit road and really enjoyed watching the race in person. It was a hundred times better than watching the race on TV. When the race ended, TK snuck into victory lane and celebrated with winner and then snuck into the championship victory lane. It was the first time while being on the trip TK was actually sorta having fun but he wished Kari was there to share it with him. Whenever he thought of Kari, it saddened him and made him remember the awkward situation they were in.

When TK returned to Tony Stewart's motorcoach later that night, the door was locked. He knocked and pounded on the door, waiting for Tony to let him in but Tony never did. TK didn't know what to do. He texted Kari but she never replied back. TK remembered seeing hundreds of fans sitting on top of their campers and motorcoaches during the race. So TK went around back and climbed up the ladder to the roof. TK realized why fans sat on top of their motorcoaches, the view was absolutely gorgeous. The cool Florida temperature was just warm enough to sleep outside so TK made the best of the situation and fell asleep in the cool moonlight.

TK spent most of Saturday and Sunday wondering around the infield again. He had walked around the infield so much, he knew it like it was the back of his hand. He didn't need a map to get around anymore. His mom, Nancy, had called him several times to tell him she saw him on TV. With this weekend being the last weekend of Nascar, there were cameras all over the place, TK wasn't the least bit surprised.

The big race of the weekend had finally come. It was the final Cup race of the season and someone was going to be crowed the champion. The championship had come down to two drivers, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. The two HMS teammates had dominated the season and were now separated by only a few points. Their pit stalls were crowded by hundreds of media people so TK decided to watch the race from a neutral pit, their HMS teammate Casey Mears. TK liked Casey. Casey wasn't trying to steal Kari away from him or tried to encourage other drivers from stealing her away from him. Casey was a genuine nice guy. TK knew exactly which pit Kari would be sitting in, Brian's. It made TK mad to see her falling for Brian's tricks. He took her out for fancy dinners and bought her expensive jewelry, he could only image what else he did to spoil her.

There was so much tension and pressure in the air, it made the race even more exciting. Jeff and Jimmie both had very strong cars and were contenders for the win. They were constantly switching positions on the track. Jeff would be ahead of Jimmie for while and then Jimmie would be ahead of Jeff for a while. Meanwhile their teammate, Brian Vickers dominated the race. He clearly had the strongest car and was running away with the win. It was his race to lose and it only made TK even more mad.

"Brian Vickers takes the white flag. One lap to go." said TV commentator Mike Joy

"Ohhh, this is so exciting!" exclaimed Darrell Waltrip

"The twenty-five year old has dominated this entire race but now has to hold off his Hendrick teammates for the win!" explained Larry McReynolds

"Do you think Jeff or Jimmie will push the issue and go for the win or sit back and fight for second?" asked Mike Joy, adding to the suspense

"Well a win would guarantee a championship but I just don't think they have enough time to pass Brian" answered Darrell Waltrip as the three drivers raced down the backstretch

"Here comes Brian Vickers out of turn four and he takes the checkered flag! Brian Vickers wins the Ford 400 at Homestead!" exclaimed Larry McReynolds

"And Jeff Gordon wins another championship!" Mike also exclaimed.

"That boy deserves it Mike! He and his team have worked their tails off all season. I can't think of another driver who deserves it more!" said Darrell

TK couldn't stand watching Brian doing burnouts and cookies on the front stretch. He decided to hurry over to the championship victory lane to see Jeff get his championship trophy. He was surprised to see Kari already there. She was talking to Ingrid and holding little Ella Sophia, Jeff and Ingrid's little girl. Kari didn't stay long. As soon as Jeff got out and did his interviews, she gave her congrats and went over to victory lane to congratulate Brian. Before Jeff and his team started the 'hat dance', Rick Hendrick came up to TK.

"Are you excited for this week?" he asked TK

"I guess so. I'm hoping it will be better than this weekend" answered TK which made Rick chuckle

"That might be kind of hard considering this has been a very blessed weekend for me but I will see what I can do. I have some things planned for you and Kari that I think you guys will enjoy" replied Rick

"I don't know about that" TK said as he looked at Rick, "I take it that you heard about the airport incident?"

"Yeah, I heard about that. I'm sorry that Brian acted so immaturely as he did. Brian is normally a very mature and kind guy and I don't know what got into him. But I do know Brian and Kari get along very well and are pretty tight. Hopefully Brian won't cause any trouble between you two at Thanksgiving" replied Rick

"What? He's coming to Thanksgiving?" asked TK

"Yeah, I invited all of Kari's closest driver friends for dinner" answered Rick

"I don't think..."

"Hey, I have to go take team pictures. We'll talk later ok TK?" interrupted Rick

"OK" TK replied but Rick was already gone

TK really liked Rick Hendrick. He had heard nothing but good things about him and he lived up to all of them. He had to be the nicest guy in all of Nascar. TK really enjoyed talking to Rick. He was the first person all weekend that didn't judge him for accidentally hitting Kari. He respected that and was starting to feel better about the rest of the trip. _'Maybe this week won't be so bad after all'_

_--_

"Congrats Brian! I'm so proud of you!! You did an amazing job out there!" exclaimed Kari as she gave him a hug

"Thanks Kar. I think you're my good luck charm! Maybe I'll have to bring ya to all the races" replied Brian, "Do ya want to be in the picture?"

"Oh...I'm sorry! I thought you were done taking pictures!" apologized Kari

"Oh no, we have a lot of pictures to take yet. But ya can stand next to me in this one" said Brian as he and everyone else on the team held up their pointer fingers and Kari did the same. "That's probably the best picture we've taken so far"

Kari blushed at the comment. Ever since Thursday night when she heard Brian proclaim his love for her, she looked deeper into everything Brian said to her. Since she was still technically dating TK, she always thought twice about everything she said to him. She didn't want to lead him on.

"Brian we have to talk" said Kari

"Ok, but not right now" replied Brian as he changed hats and got ready for another picture.

Kari sighed and decided to leave victory lane and go back to the motorcoach. She passed TK along the way. He tried to talk to her but she quickly walked away before he could apologize again. Her heart was so confused and her head was even more confused. When she got to the motorcoach, it was completely empty. She figured Jimmie and Chandra were already on a plane back to Charlotte. Shortly later she received a text message from Rick telling her to grab her bags and meet him at the track airport.

She saw Rick and TK were already at the airport waiting for her. Before TK even had a chance to talk to her, Rick rushed them on the plane. They landed in Charlotte a couple hours later, around three in the morning. Rick led Kari and TK to their rooms. He obeyed Kevin and Karen's wishes to keep them separate, so Kari's room was on the top floor of his house and TK's room was in the basement.

Rick kept the two busy all week long by taking them to movies, museums, amusement parks, site seeing, and to fancy restaurants all for free. He let them pick out free HMS merchandise from the Hendrick Motorsports gift shop. TK loved going everywhere for free but felt so awkward going with Kari. She never talked to him, never looked at him, and stayed as far away as possible from him.

TK woke up on Thanksgiving day morning. He could hear people talking from upstairs and quickly got dressed to see who was all here already. He could smell lunch being prepared and it made him very hungry. TK was surprised to see so many people here so early. Kari was already up and mingling with her driver friends and having a good time. He started looking for Brian and when he didn't see him he felt relieved. _'Maybe he's not coming'_

TK looked at the small crowd recognized a familiar face. He was tall and had big, bushy brown hair. He was talking to Kari, yet TK couldn't place a name on the face. When the familiar guy started walking towards him, TK realized who it was.

"Tai! It's so good to see you again!" TK greeted the former digidestin

While the rest of his family moved back to Japan when he was a senior in high school, Tai decided to stay in America and pursue a career in Nascar. Tai was currently a junior in college and majoring in engineering. It was Tai's dream to build race cars like his dad did when he worked at Hendrick Motorsports. He was steadily working his way up the ranks. He went from sweeping the floors and handing tools to the guys to actually working on the cars and going to a few races now and then.

"Hey TK! Kari said ya were here and I just had to come and see it for myself!" Tai explained. "It's so good to see a friendly face again! I haven't seen many of the digidestin since I moved to America."

"Really? I'm glad I could be one of the few!" TK replied. "So...I'm sure Kari told you what happend last weekend"

"Told me what?" Tai asked completely clueless. "I couldn't make it to the race last weekend and I've been so busy studying lately I haven't talked to any of the guys. So what happened?"

"Kari didn't tell you?" TK asked, shocked Kari didn't rat him out to her protective older brother

"No!" Tai laughed, "What happened?"

"Oh, it's not important" TK replied and laughed along with Tai. The fear of Tai turning into protective older brother mode and beating the crap out of him suddenly overwhelmed him.

"Well anyway, the next time ya come to America ya let me know. We'll have to met up and hang out!" Tai said. "I'll talk to you later!"

Tai turned and walked away from TK to mingle with his co-workers and a few of the drivers. TK stood all alone in the corner of the room and felt very out of place. It broke Kari's heart to see him like that, but at the same time it didn't. The evil in her was glad TK was miserable.

Kari suddenly felt two arms wrapped around her waist. She looked up to see Brian behind her with a huge smile on his face. Kari laughed and turned around to hug him, hoping TK would see.

"I've missed ya" said Brian, enjoying her embrace. "Mr. H has kept ya two so busy this week I haven't seen ya since Sunday night!"

"I've missed you too." Kari replied. "Hey, can I talk to y..."

"Thank you everybody for coming and sharing this lovely Thanksgiving Day with my family and me." Rick Hendrick greeted his guests. "I catered a nice turkey dinner and it looks delicious! So why don't you all gather round the table and prepare for grace"

A long decorated table was set up for the small gathering. It was the biggest table TK had ever seen. He watched as Brian pulled out a chair for Kari and sat down beside her. TK quickly sat down by Tai before anyone else could take his spot. They said grace and began to eat the delicious feast before them. TK noticed Kari had hardly touched her food. He knew she loved turkey and all the fixings but yet today she didn't eat anything.

"Brian, can I talk to you in private?" Kari whispered to him

"Yeah, sure" Brian replied and followed Kari to an empty room down the hallway.

"Brian, you are one of my closest friends. You know me better than my own parents. But it hurt me to see you and TK fighting at the airport last week. I need to know what happened. I need to hear your verson of the story. I already know Jimmie's and TK's side of it but I need to hear yours." explained Kari.

"Did they just serve dessert?" Brian asked, trying to side track her off the subject. Brian started talking toward the door but Kari closed it before he could leave.

"I need to know Brian." Kari told him as her eyes started to well up with tears

"Oh Kari, don't cry! I hate to see ya cry!" Brian begged her. "Fine. After TK pulled ya away from me and gave ya that big kiss on the lips I got extremely jealous. I don't know why but I did. Anyway, TK and I exchanged some words and then he snapped and went psycho on me. He threw a punch but missed and then I punched him back and I think you know the rest of the story."

"But what did you say?" asked Kari

"...That I could make ya stay in America just like that" Brian answered, embarrassed to tell her what he had said.

"Well no wonder he snapped! You antagonized and provoked him! Couldn't you tell he is the jealous type? I can't believe you Brian! I can't believe you would get in a fight with an eighteen year old boy! You could have gone to jail for getting in a fight with him! Nascar could have suspended you and kicked you out of the race! You are pathetic. Thank you so much for making my life so complicated once again!" Kari yelled at him and walked away, leaving Brian as upset and sad as TK.

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pandabear24- Please keep the reviews coming!!


	6. Leavin'

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- Thanks again to everyone who reviewed!!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon, Nascar or Degrassi so please don't sue!

pandabear24- On with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Leavin'  
(don't own Jesse McCartney either)

TK walked up the stairs to Kari's apartment. They flew back to Japan a day early and he wanted to talk to her before they went back to school the next day. He would have taken the elevator up to the eighteenth floor of her apartment but he wanted some time to think about what he wanted to say to her. When he got to her door, he paced in circles gathering up the courage to knock on the door. TK literally jumped when the door suddenly opened.

"Oh TK! Thank God you're here!" Kari exclaimed and pulled him into the apartment. TK could see Kari's suitcases, still packed and sitting in the corner of their dining room. He looked around the apartment looking for Kari but couldn't find her.

"I'm so glad you're here! There is something wrong with Kari."said Karen

"What's wrong?" TK asked deeply concerned

"I don't know! Ever since she got home last night, she hasn't come out of her room. I can't get her to come out and eat. All she does is cry and I can't get her to tell me what's wrong!" explained Karen "But now that you're here, maybe you can get her to come out."

"I'll see what I can do" TK replied

"Did something happen while you guys were in America?" asked Karen

"No" TK lied. He was shocked Kari hadn't told her mom what happened yet. He walked towards Kari's room and knocked on the door. He could hear a movie coming from her room. TK knocked again but she still wouldn't open the door. "Kari. It's me, TK! Please open the door. We are worried about you" TK loudly said through the door

A few seconds later Kari opened the door. She was in sweatpants and an over-sized sweatshirt. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wasn't wearing any make up. TK couldn't help but notice she still looked beautiful without any make up on. Kari walked back to her bed and crawled back under the covers. She continued to watch her favorite movie, Elf as if TK wasn't even there. Gatomon, who was laying on the bed beside her, got up and left to respect their privacy.

"Kari, can we talk about the trip?" he asked. Kari paused the movie and turned towards TK. "I'm so incredibly sorry for hurting you. I hope you know I would never intentionally hit you. I love you Kari and I really hope you and I can get through this together. I don't like this tension between us and I just want things to go back to normal. If I could go back in time and change all of this, I would." TK stopped and waited for her to reply. "Please say something, anything?"

"You don't know how incredibly painful this is for me" Kari finally replied. It was the first time she had spoken to him directly since the airport incident. "I'm scared TK. I'm scared of you. Every time I see your face, I get this horrible flashback from when you hit me. And I hate it and I hate you. I hate you for starting that stupid fight in the first place! And I'm so confused right now. My head just keeps spinning and I don't know what to do."

"Kari, I'm so sorry" TK apologized for the millionth time. He came down to sit by her on her bed but she scooted away from him.

"I think its best if we break up" said Kari, she couldn't bare to look at his face.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "Kari, no! We can work through this. Don't give up so easily!"

"I'm so sorry TK, but I don't think I can right now" Kari replied

"I love you Kari! There is no one else I'd rather be with! You're the only person I truly love! You're the only person I want to be with! Please Kari, don't do this!" he begged

"I'm so sorry TK, I really am" replied Kari. "I think you should go"

TK sat on her bed a few seconds longer, starring into her fearful and tearful eyes. He finally got up and left her room. Karen waited outside the door, but TK couldn't even look at her. He left their apartment and ran back to his. TK ran into his room and laid on his bed. He had a million things were going through his mind. From the corner of his eye, TK could see the little black box sitting on his night stand. TK turned onto his side and reached for the box. He opened it up to see the pink, heart-shaped diamond engagement ring he had bought for Kari. It was Kari's dream engagement ring that she had told him about two years ago. TK quickly closed the box and threw it against the wall. He turned onto his other side and cried.

Kari felt much better the next morning. She didn't want to break up with TK, but now she believed it was the right thing to do. She walked to school alone. Although it was going to be a tough break up, Kari wanted their break up to go smoothly and pain free as possible. She wanted their break up to be quiet and undramatic and she had a strong feeling that TK would feel the same way. Kari figured if she avoided TK, it would some how help the break up process.

By lunchtime, Kari had heard every rumor of their break up. She didn't know how the entire school knew when she had only broken up with him fifteen hours earlier. As she walked over to an empty table, she couldn't help but over hear Jessica Garcia spreading another nasty rumor about her and TK.

"Well I heard Kari slept with one of the drivers and TK walked in on them!" Jessica told her entourage of snobby popular girls. "That's why TK dumped her!"

Kari was sick of all the rumors and had enough of it. She slammed her tray on Jessica's table and let her and the entire school have it.

"I am so sick of all the rumors!" Kari yelled as loud as she could. The cafeteria immediately quieted down. "No I did not sleep with any drivers! I did not hook up with any famous celebrity! TK did not cheat on me with a trophy girl! I speak for both of us when I say we are sick of all the rumors! I do not know how they all got started but I would appreciate it if you would all stop spreading them!"

Kari let out a loud groan and stormed out of the cafeteria just as TK walked in. He was confused as he saw everyone starring at him. When TK got his food, Jessica begged him to sit by her.

"Oh TK, I'm so sorry to hear about your break up" Jessica sympathetically said, "If there is anything, _anything _I can do, just let me know. Ok?"

"Umm...Ok?" TK replied, confused by her sudden nice behavior towards him

"Would you like to go to a movie with me? You know, to get your mind off of things?" Jessica asked

Normally, TK would have immediately said no. But now, things were different. All he could think about was Kari and all he wanted to do was stop thinking about her. He hadn't given up on her but he was starting to lose hope. "Yeah, that sounds great"

--

Kari felt so alone in the world. TK was her best friend and now she did everything to avoid him. Davis, Jake, and Cody were three of her closest friends, but yet she still couldn't talk to them either. Other than those four, Kari really didn't have any close friends in school. Not even her ex-boyfriend Willis and her were friends. She tried talking to Gatomon, but Gatomon just couldn't relate to her. She wished Yolie and Ken were still in high school. She knew Yolie would be here, helping her through this tough time. Kari was sick of all the attention and sympathy. She decided to quit cheerleading and gave the captain position to Jessica. She quit every extracurricular activity she was involved in. All Kari wanted to do was hide under the covers in her nice, warm bed.

As months passed by, Kari heard all the rumors about TK and Jessica. It hurt her to see him move on so quickly, however she would never answer her phone when he called or reply to any of his text messages. TK occasionally bought her flowers but she would just throw them away. She didn't know why she still loved him but yet she still hated him so much. When her grandmother passed away in the middle of January, TK came to the funeral to support her. As much as she really wanted his support, she didn't want it all.

When Nascar started again in February, TK would text her to come over and watch the race with him but she never did. She hated Nascar now too. She truly believed Nascar ruined her life. If she would have never gotten involved in Nascar, she would have never met Brian, she wouldn't have gone to America for Thanksgiving, and she and TK would still be happily together. Kari avoided all contact with her driver friends. She got a new e-mail address and a new phone number just so they would leave her alone. Some how they always managed to get back in contact with her.

As graduation neared, Kari realized what she wanted to do with her future. She was going to move back to Charlotte and go to college to be a teacher. She wanted to get out of Japan as soon as possible. She wanted nothing to do with her old life. Kari wanted to start over, which meant leaving her friends, her family, and her past behind her.

--

"Woohoo! I am officially and finally done with high school!" Davis exclaimed as he walked away with his diploma in hand from Odiaba High School where he spent four of the best years of his life. He walked with TK, Jake, Ken, Yolie and Cody

"This is summer is going to be the best summer ever!" Jake replied, taking off his cap and itching to get out of his gown.

"You guys are going to love college! It is ten times better than high school!" Yolie said to the graduates

"TK, cheer up! You just graduated" said Ken as he saw the frown on TK's face.

"I'm sorry guys. I'm just out of it" TK apologized

"He caught Jessica cheating on him last night with another guy" Jake whispered to Davis, Ken, Yolie and Cody.

"Oh TK, I'm so sorry!" Yolie gave him a sympathetic hug

"Thanks Yolie" said TK and gave her a fake smile

"Is that Kari?" asked Yolie, looking over TK's shoulder

The small group all looked behind them to see Kari walking behind them. She had already changed out her cap and gown and was now wearing a bright pink dress. She was preoccupied with her hair to notice where she was walking or who she was unintentionally following.

"Kari!" Yolie exclaimed and ran towards her, "I looked all over the gym for you! Congrats on graduating!"

"Thanks Yolie" Kari replied shocked by Yolie's sudden bear hug

Yolie led her towards the boys that waited for them to catch up. Yolie knew TK and Kari had broken up but yet was just as clueless as everyone else as to why they had. Kari was immediately starting to feel uncomfortable walking only a few feet from TK.

"So Kari, where are you going to college?" Ken asked her

"The University of North Carolina" Kari calming answered

"In America?" Jake and Davis both exclaimed, just as shocked as everyone else. Kari had kept her college plans a secret and hadn't told anyone other than her family what they were.

"Yeah. I'm going to major in elementary education" Kari replied

"But why America? Why don't you just stay here in Japan?" asked Cody

"I guess I really don't know" Kari answered,

"When are you leavin'?" asked Davis

"Next month." answered Kari, trying her best to stay calm

"But college doesn't start until August" Jake replied

"Yeah, I know" said Kari. "But I gotta go. Mom and Dad are having an open house for my graduation party and I'm running late. See ya" They stood there as they watched Kari walk away from them. For some of them, it would be the last time they would see Kari Kamiya before she moved.

"We were suppose to go to college together" TK mumbled to himself, trying to keep the tears out of his eyes

"It's like she's running away from her problems" said Cody

"Ugh...That girl is so stubborn! She's almost as bullheaded as Davis!" Yolie complained, "She needs to face her problems instead of running away from them"

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pandabear24- Please review!!


	7. Why Can't I

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

Ken- Our openings have become kinda boring lately.

pandabear24- I agree! I must be slacking...

Ken- Must be.

pandabear24- Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Ya'll rock my socks off!! Now how bout a disclaimer?

Ken- My pleasure! pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon, Nascar or Degrassi! So please don't sue!

pandabear24- Thank you to everyone who reviewed!! Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Why Can't I'  
(don't own Liz Phair either)

**Seven Years and Seven Months Later...**

"Miss Kamiya! Sierrah hit me again!" a little boy in a red shirt exclaimed

Kari looked up from the stack of papers she was correcting on her desk to see a blond hair, blue eyed girl trying to act innocent as the boy in the red shirt painfully rubbed his arm. She sighed as she got up from her desk and walked to the two students.

Kari was now a kindergarten teacher at Degrassi, the same school she went to as a little girl. After she graduated from high school, Kari moved to America and went to college at the University of North Carolina. She lived with her brother Tai and his wife Sora only because Tai couldn't face the reality that Kari was a mature young woman that could live on her own. However Kari didn't mind, it was a free place to stay.

Tai and Sora were now married and expecting their second child. They had always kept in close contact with each since Tai moved way from Japan back in the 5th grade. Tai had always been there for Sora through the good and the bad times. He even supported her while she dated Matt, even if he didn't like it. When Sora couldn't handle the pressure of being a rockstar's girlfriend and broke up with Matt, she turned to Tai for moral support. Shortly after they both graduated high school, Tai gave Sora plane tickets to America to come see him. Sora later decided to move to America and a few years later, they were married. Tai still worked at Hendrick Motorsports and was now the head engineer. Sora also worked at HMS and was Rick Hendrick's personal secretary.

Tai and Sora kept in very close contact with all the digidestin. They often told Kari what was new in their friends' lives but Kari never wanted to hear it. From what she knew, Matt was now a famous rockstar. He gained early fame and success with his band, The Teenage Wolves. A few years later, Matt left the band to pursue a solo singing career. He became even more famous and was now engaged to a world famous supermodel.

Izzy moved to New York City and was a very successful computer software engineer. He created a new and popular software and became very rich. He later married Mimi who was now a famous fashion designer. Many famous celebrities wore her clothes. You couldn't read a tabloid magazine without seeing at least one celebrity wearing an outfit of hers. Together, Izzy and Mimi had two children.

Joe had also moved to America and was a highly respected doctor. He had found a cure to a very deadly disease. Joe's research and discovery won him the Noble Peace Prize! Joe was also married and had one child with his college sweetheart, Rebeckah.

Davis still lived in Japan and was now the owner of the most fancy and romantic restaurant in all of Tokyo. He married his high school sweetheart, Sarah. Sarah was the same girl Kari had set Davis up with at the Snowball Dance way back in the 9th grade. They were expecting their first child any day now.

Ken and Yolie were happily married with three kids. Ken become a detective and was a very good one too. He caught some of Japan's most wanted criminals. Yolie was a stay at home mom and claimed to be the best one in all of Japan.

Jake went to college to play college basketball and was now a famous, professional basketball player in Japan's top league. He was recently named Japan's hottest bachelor although he secretly had a fiancee and was going to marry her as soon as the season ended.

The youngest digidestin, Cody had just graduated law school. He was already working on important court cases and was gaining respect from many of his colleagues. He was currently dating a nice girl who he was getting ready to purpose to.

TK was the one digidestin Kari refused to hear about. He was also the digidestin Sora kept the closest contact with. They talked at least once every other day. Sora always wanted to tell Kari what was going on in TK's life but Kari never wanted to hear it. She knew TK became a journalist but that was all she wanted to know.

Kari felt so pathetic compared to the rest of the digidestin. They had all gone off, gotten married and had very successful careers. Kari was just an ordinary teacher at an ordinary school and made ordinary pay. She was twenty-five, almost twenty-six and single. Kari never went out much. She liked to stay home in Tai and Sora's basement and correct papers. It was what she considered 'fun'. Kari didn't socialize very much although Tai and Sora tried to get her go out more. She didn't date much either. Her last relationship was in college and it lasted two weeks. Her last date was three and a half years ago.

Kari wasn't the fun, bubbly, happy-go-lucky person she use to be in high school. When she moved away from Japan, she decided to start her life over. Her friends called and e-mailed her often but she would never reply. She changed her number and her e-mail address and they stopped contacting her. She occasionally got an e-mail from Yolie from time to time but she would never respond. Gatomon, Kari's faithful digimon, became so fed up with Kari's stubbornness and went to go live in the Digital World. She came back to visit Kari from time to time, but never stayed long on behalf of Kari's new unsocial lifestyle.

Kari still didn't like Nascar even though Tai and Sora worked for her old employer. She hadn't seen or been to a race since she went to the Homestead race when she was a senior in high school. Her driver friends tried to keep in contact with her, but Kari ignored them too like her old friends in Japan. The farther she pushed her driver friends away, the harder they tried to stay in contact. Some of the drivers sent their children to Degrassi just so they had a reason to talk to her at parent-teacher conferences. Other than the married drivers like Jeff and Jimmie, she hadn't talk to Brian, Kyle, Reed and Jamie in years.

"Sierrah Johnson! Do I have to call your parents for the third time this month?" Kari asked her student

"No!" Sierrah exclaimed, "It wasn't my fault!"

"Then what happened?" Kari asked

"Josh said my daddy sucked at Nascar and that Dale Earnhardt Jr was better! And ya know that's not true! And I got mad and I accidentally hit him" Sierrah explained

"Sierrah, I can understand that ya got mad but ya can't hit people. I'm afraid I'm going to have to call your parents again" Kari explained to the little girl

"No! Ya can't!" Sierrah exclaimed

"Why can't I?" Kari asked

"Because mommy and daddy are on vacation in the Bahahamahahas." Sierrah explained. Kari tried not to laugh as she struggled to say the word Bahamas. "Mommy and daddy wanted to squeeze in one last vacation before Speedweeks at Daytona"

"I see, I see. Who are ya staying with while your mom and dad are on vacation?" asked Kari

"Uncle Brian" Sierrah replied.

Kari was confused. She was certain Jimmie or Chandra did not have a brother named Brian. Kari wasn't sure if Sierrah was joking or telling the truth.

"Your Uncle Brian?" Kari asked the little girl, "Do ya have his number?"

"I have it in my cell phone. Can I go get it?" Sierrah asked

"May I" Kari corrected her

"May I go get it Miss Kamiya?" Sierrah asked again and Kari nodded her head yes. When Sierrah came back with her cell phone she told Kari the number.

"Thank ya Sierrah" replied Kari as she walked out of the room to make the call. Her call was immediately directed to the voicemail which sounded very familiar.

"Hey, it's Brian. Ya know what to do" Kari had definately heard this voicemail before, but yet she couldn't remember who had it.

"Hello, this is Sierrah's teacher Miss Kamiya. I am sorry to call ya like this but Sierrah was acting up in school today and I would like to have a talk with ya and Sierrah today after school. Normally I would call her parents but they are on vacation. Thank ya, bye!"

Kari walked back into the classroom and told Sierrah she would be staying after school. She complained like she always did when she had to stay after school. When the final bell of the day ended, her classmates left the classroom while Sierrah pouted in her desk. Normally Jimmie and Chandra came right away after school when she got in trouble, but it wasn't until four o'clock when there was a knock on the classroom door. Kari got up to let her uncle in.

"Thank ya so much for meeting me today" Kari said to her uncle

"That is no problem." he replied, "What did she do this time?"

"I didn't do anything!" Sierrah exclaimed

"She got upset when one of her classmates said her dad wasn't a very good driver and then she hit that person." Kari explained

"Josh said Dale Jr. was better than my daddy! Ya know thats not true, right Uncle Brian?"

"Sierrah...what am I going to do with ya?" Uncle Brian asked her

"Take me out for ice cream?" she innocently replied

"How bout ya go wait in the car huh?" her uncle suggested and she obeyed. "I'm sorry about that. Jimmie and Chandra have a wild child on their hands"

"That's alright." Kari replied. "I didn't know Jimmie or Chandra had a brother named Brian?"

"Oh, I'm not their brother. I'm just a close family friend. Sierrah just likes to call me Uncle Brian. My name is Brian Vickers" he explained

Kari stood there shock strickened. It suddenly hit her now. She couldn't believe she didn't recognize him when he walked into the classroom. Kari couldn't believe he was standing here in her classroom.

"Took ya long enough to recognize me huh?" said Brian which made Kari blush

"I, I, I can't believe it's you!" Kari exclaimed. She wanted to hug him yet knew it wouldn't be professional while she was still in school.

"Yeah, its me." Brian coolly replied, "Hey listen, do ya wanna go out sometime and catch up or something?"

"Yeah, that would be great!" answered Kari as she blushed even more

Brian still looked much the same as he did seven years ago. His hair was a bit longer and highlighted. He still had those piercing blue eyes and perfect smile. Kari was still fairly short and skinny. Her hair was still pretty long but you wouldn't know because she always wore it in a messy bun.

"Awesome, how bout I pick ya up tonight around seven?" Brian asked

"I'll see ya then" Kari replied and gave him her address.

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pandabear24- It's another sort of prologue. The story is going to pick up the pace and going to cover a lot of time within a few chapters. I hope ya can keep up!


	8. The Kiss Seen Around the World

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! I love to read what ya'll think! Keep'em coming! Hey Ken, how bout a disclaimer please?

Ken- Coming right up! pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon, Nascar or Degrassi. Please don't sue!

pandabear24- Amazing as usual Ken!

Ken- Thanks! Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**The Kiss Seen Around the World

**One Year and One Month Later**

"Brian Vickers leads the field to the green flag! Two laps to go in this year's Daytona 500!" TV announcer Mike Joy exclaimed

"Just think DW, in five miles we'll have another Daytona 500 champion!" said Larry McRenyolds

"But first, Brian has to hold off his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears and thirty-nine other drivers!" replied Darrell Waltrip

"I haven't seen anyone dominate this race in years like Brian Vickers has today." said Mike Joy

"Rick Hendrick must be going crazy with all four of his drivers up front fighting for the win." Darrell pointed out

"How much do you want to bet he's praying they don't crash?!" asked Larry Mac and he laughed.

"That would be Rick's worst nightmare right now." answered Darrell "How much do you want to bet Jeff and Jimmie have something up their sleeve?"

"One lap to go, but this race is far from over folks!" Mike Joy exclaimed

"Look at all those fans Mike, they haven't sit down since the green flag waved!" Larry Mac said

"If Jeff, Jimmie and Casey are going to team up and pass Brian they better do it now before its too late!" said Darrell Waltrip

"As strong as Brian's car is today, they will need all three HMS cars to work together to pass him!" replied Larry Mac

"The fans have been waiting months to see this! Here they come down the backstretch." Mike announced

"Oh no, Jeff is going high and Jimmie is going low! I don't think this was part of their plan!" Darrell exclaimed

"Poor Casey Mears doesn't know which one to follow. Yet, all three of them are his teammates!" replied Larry

"Here comes the rest of the field. Tony Stewart is pushing Jeff and Dale Earnhardt Jr is pushing Jimmie." said Darrell

"But it doesn't matter Darrell. Casey is pushing Brian all the way to the checkered flag! Brain Vickers wins the Daytona 500!" Mike exclaimed

"Of all of Brian's twenty-three wins, this win is definately his most prostegious win!" said Larry Mac

"Remember his first restrictor plate win?" Darrell asked

"Yeah and thousands of Dale Jr and Jimmie Johnson fan threatened to kill the boy." replied Mike "This was a much better finish for him!"

Brian celebrated on the start finish line by doing cookies and burnouts before he took the checkered flag and drove around the track in a victory lap. He finally pulled into victory lane where his team, teammates and friends were waiting for him. As soon as he parked the car, hundreds of media people swarmed the car, waiting for him to get out. Brian sat in the car for several minutes, soaking in the feeling of winning the most prestigious stock car race, Daytona 500. When Brian got out, confetti and streamers showered him. After his team gave him the traditional champagne bath, Brian was ready to give interviews.

"Brian, congrats on winning the biggest race of your career" pit reporter Steve Byrnes congradulated him, "What was going through your mind on that green-white-checker restart?"

"Oh man, I was just praying I wouldn't screw up! I knew Jeff, Jimmie and Casey were going to team up and pass me but there must have been some miscommunication or something." said Brian as he wiped the champagne and confetti off his face, "I'm so glad Casey decided to push me to the win. Casey's car worked really good with mine. I ran my fastest when he pushed me during the race"

His teammates and Rick Hendrick all came and gave him big hugs and gave Brian their congrats. Occassionally throughout the interview, his team sprayed champaine all over victory lane.

"There was rarely a time today when you weren't leading this race. How was that Hendrick horsepower for you?" asked Steve.

"This Ditech GMAC Chevy Impala was just amazing! It was definitely the best car I have ever had here. I couldn't have won this race without the hard working guys back at the shop, my team here at the track, my crew chief, my wonderful teammates, and the best car owner ever Rick Hendrick. I have to thank God, my family, my friends and all my supportive sponsors Ditech, GMAC, Garnier Fructis, Mountain Dew, Quacker State, and Chevy. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for them." answered Brian, "I can't believe I just won the Daytona 500!"

"That is one happy driver right there. Over to you Matt Yocum.." said Steve as he ended their interview

"No, no, no wait!" Brian exclaimed. Steve and the camera guy turned around to see what the victorious driver wanted. Brian begged them to turn the camera back on. As soon as Matt was done interviewing Dale Earnhardt Jr, the camera turned back on. "I also want to thank one more person"

Brain pointed to Kari who was standing with the rest of his team in victory lane. He signaled her to come over to him but she shyly shook her head no. She had noticed while Brian was giving interviews, more and more of her driver friends coming to victory lane. They all stood off camera and watched Brian give his interview. Kari thought it kind of odd that they just didn't go congratulate Brian like several other drivers already did. When Kari didn't come, he came over to her, bringing the camera crew with him.

Since she and Brian started dating last spring, Kari started to go to the Nascar races again. She taught and worked all week and early on Saturday mornings she would hop an airplane and fly out to the track. Kari fell in love with Nascar all over again. She hardly ever missed a race and tried to make as many of Brian's races as possible. It was just like old times when she lived in America as a teenager.

"I really want to thank this girl right here" Brian said, "And I want to ask her something really important"

The large crowd suddenly quieted down as Brian quickly walked back to his car. Kari felt like everyone knew something she didn't. When Brian came back he took her hands.

"Kari has been my friend since I first started driving at Hendrick Motorsports. I have loved her with all my heart and I can't imagine my life without her. She gave me the extra motivation to go out and win this race today. I have been waiting a long time to do this." Brian explained. He got down on one knee and made sure the camera guy was still taping. "Kari, I love ya so much. Will ya marry me?"

Kari was shocked, she couldn't believe he was asking her to marry him. They had been going out for a little over a year, but she never expected him to purpose just yet. Especially not in victory lane in front of millions of people watching on national tv.

When Kari imagined herself getting married, she always thought she would be getting married to TK. It was weird to think of herself getting married to Brian, the guy who caused them to break up. Kari still had those dreams about herself getting married. She always believe the guy at the end of the isle was TK, but now she wasn't so sure. The guy in her dream was tall and had blond hair. Kari looked down at Brian and saw the blond highlights in his hair. She still had her doubts but she was sure the blond mystery man in her dreams was Brian after all.

"Yes, yes, I will!" Kari replied with tears running down her face. Brian quickly got up and gave her a kiss on the lips.

It was the kiss seen around the world. It made headlines and the front page of almost every newspaper in America. It made news all over the world from France to Australia and even Japan. The kiss made the sports highlights and even became a popular news story on the news channels like CNN and Foxnews. It even became cover stories of many celebrity tabloid magazines.

--

Davis woke up early the next morning. He always woke up early to do paper work at his restaurant before his employees showed up for work. When he finished, he read the paper like he did every morning. He was shocked and surprised to see his old friend on the front page of the sports section. Davis immediately thought of TK and quickly got in his car to make a quick visit. He ran up the flights of stairs to TK's apartment and was relieved to see TK's paper still laying outside his door. Davis quickly thumbed through the paper until he got to the sports section. As he pulled the section out of TK's paper, TK's door started to open. Davis quickly got up and tried to hide the sports section behind he back.

"Davis? What are you doing here? And why do you have my sports section?" a confused TK asked

"You see, I was in the neighborhood and I stopped for coffee. And while I was drinking my coffee, I was reading the paper. But I realized the paper I was reading didn't have a sports section so..." Davis tried to explain but struggled for words

"You thought you could come take mine?" TK finished the rest of his lie

"Yeah, yeah. I didn't think it would be a big deal" Davis replied.

"Davis, you live across town" said TK, not convinced by his story

"Yeah and I was in the neighborhood" Davis lied again, "So... um... did you watch the Nascar race yesterday?"

"I watched the first half of the race but I feel asleep and missed the end. I would watch it again today but my electricity got cut off during the middle of the night. Do you know who won?" TK asked

"No...I missed it too." Davis lied again. "Hey, if you need help with the bills just say so TK. I'd be more the happy to help you out"

"No, that's alright. I'm getting paid this week so I should get my electricity back by the end of the week" explained TK

"That's good. Well I gotta get to work." Davis said, "But if you need help TK, just say so"

"Thanks Davis." TK replied as he watch Davis leave with his sports section.

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pandabear24- I know...it's super short and I'm sorry! Don't forget to review anyway!!

And for the hard core Nascar fans out there...I am well aware Brian Vickers doesn't drive for Hendrick Motorsports anymore and does not have twenty-three wins. When I started writing this little mini series back in 2005, Brian was still very much driving for HMS. Basically, Jeff, Jimmie, Brian and Casey are my dream team... a girl can dream can't she?! lol...and this is a fanfiction after all!


	9. Get Out of This Town

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- Oh my gosh ya guys rock! Thank ya'll for the reviews!! Hey Ken...how bout a disclaimer?

Ken- Anything for you panda! pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon, Nascar or Degrassi. So please don't sue!!

pandabear24- Amazing as usual Ken!

Ken- Thanks panda. Great last chapter!

pandabear24- Thanks...On with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Get Out of This Town'  
(don't own Carrie Underwood either)

**One Year and Three Months Later**

Sora walked outside to the mail box to get the mail like she did every morning before she left for work. She quickly looked through it before she got back to the house and looked through it again when she got back inside. She separated the mail into two piles, her's and Tai's mail and Kari's mail. Even though Kari moved out of their basement shortly after she got engaged, they occasionally got some of her mail. While looking through the mail, Sora couldn't help but notice two postcards from Japan. They were invitations to Kari's ten year class reunion and the all school reunion. Sora knew, if it were up to Kari she wouldn't go to the reunions at all when she suddenly got an idea and ran to Tai too tell him.

"I don't know Sora. Kari is pretty smart. Do ya think she would fall for it?" Tai asked his wife

"All it would need is a little photoshopping. It would look just like the original!" Sora assured him

"Well I don't want to be a part of it. When she finds out, she can blame ya" replied Tai

Kari's ten year class reunion was a week before the all school reunion. If Sora could make Kari believe she was going to her ten year reunion unknowingly a week late, she would be forced to see all her old friends again at the all school reunion. Sora felt like a genius, _'This is how Izzy must feel like all the time!' _She quickly went on her computer and photoshopped Kari's ten year reunion invitation. When she was finished, Sore looked at the believable fake invite with pride. She couldn't wait to give it to Kari. Sora dropped the kids off at school and then drove to work. She made a quick stop at Brian and Kari's house which was on the way to Hendrick Motorsports. Sora let herself in and found the two eating breakfast in the kitchen.

"Hey Sora" Brian and Kari both greeted her

"Hey Kari, hey Brian" Sora greeted them back. "We got some of your mail again Kari"

"Oh really? Just set it down on the island" said Kari as she continued to eat her bacon and cheese omelet

"I couldn't help but notice a postcard from Japan inviting ya to your ten year reunion" Sora replied

Kari curiously got up from the table and walked over to the island. She picked up her mail and glanced through it until she came to the postcard Sora was referring to. She quickly read it and tossed it in the garbage and continued to go through the rest of her mail. Kari had absolutely no interest attending her ten year reunion.

"Kari! You're not going to go?" Sora pretended to act surprised. She knew Kari would throw it away.

"No" Kari casually answered. "By August, I'll be way too busy planning my wedding. I won't have time to fly back to Japan"

Brian and Kari were planning to get married in mid December, which was seven months away. Kari wanted Brian to be a part of the wedding planning process as much as possible but with the crazy Nascar schedule, it made it hard for them to find time to plan a wedding together. Kari was always working at school and Brian was always gone for sponsor commitments, commercial shoots, autograph sessions, testing and the races on the weekends. The only time they got to spend any quality time was on the weekends when Brian flew Kari out to the track to be with him.

"Oh Kari, I think ya can take a few days off to go to your ten year reunion" Sora replied

"I can't Sora. Besides, its during the Bristol weekend" said Kari as she put her plate in the dishwasher.

"Kari, ya don't want to go to your ten year reunion?" Brian was shocked

"No!" she angrily snapped back, "I'd rather spend my weekend with ya than see my stupid classmates again"

"Kari!" Sora exclaimed. She didn't like hearing Kari call her class stupid

"What?" Kari asked

"I really think ya should go Kari. You'll regret it if ya don't" Brian tried to convince her. Sora loved seeing Brian unknowingly help her with her plan. She was glad she didn't tell Brian her plan after all.

"Yeah, whatever" Kari replied

"No, I'm serious. I never got to go to my ten year reunion because of Nascar. Sometimes I wish I would have missed the race so I could have gone to my reunion" explained Brian

"Well, I still don't want to go" Kari said definitely

"What if ya went for one week and ya stayed in Tokyo's nicest, most expensive hotel. And after the Bristol race, I'd fly over there to spend the last few days with ya?" Brian suggested

"Ugh...If I said I'd go, would ya both let this go?" Kari asked and they both said yes. "Fine, I'll go!"

"That's my girl" Brian said and gave her a kiss on the forehead. He glanced at his watch and realized he was going to be late. "I gotta go babe. I have a team meeting in like fifteen minutes."

"Yeah, I better get going too!" Kari replied and they kissed one last time before they both left.

"Yeah...I suppose I should go too?" Sora said to herself, standing alone in their house.

**Three Months Later**

"Ugh... I can't believe ya and Sora are making me go to this stupid thing" Kari complained as she was almost done packing her suitcase

"Oh, you'll be just fine" Brian assured her as he packed his own suitcase for the race weekend.

A few minutes later, a car pulled up to their house and started to honk impatiently. Kari looked out the window to see Tai and Sora waiting for her in the car. They had kindly and graciously offered to take her to the airport. Brian helped her carry her bags to the car and put them in the trunk for her.

"Please, don't make me go" Kari begged him

"As soon as the race is over Sunday night, I'll be on the first plane to Japan" Brian told her which calmed her down a little

"I love ya so much" said Kari as she gave her fiance a hug and a last kiss goodbye.

"I love ya too babe" Brian replied as he tried to break their hug. Kari finally let go when Tai honked the horn again

"Ok, Tai! I'm coming!" Kari angrily yelled at her brother

Kari reluctantly got in the car. She felt like a criminal sitting in the back of a police car. As the Tai started driving away, Kari put her hands against the window and sadly looked back at Brian, trying to make him feel guilty. She quickly got out her cell phone and texted him.

_I hate you  
__kari_

Kari didn't have to wait long for Brian's reply

_I love you too...See you in a few days!  
__Brian_

When they got to the airport, Tai and Sora told Kari to go in and they would bring her luggage. She did what she was told and waited for them at one of the airport security checkpoints. She hoped she didn't look like some terrorist just standing there. When Tai and Sora finally came with her luggage, she couldn't help but notice them bring a few extra bags in with them.

"I didn't bring all that! What's with all the extra suitcases?" Kari asked

"Well ya see.." Tai started to explain

"We kinda got jealous" Sora interrupted her husband, "That ya would get to go and see all your old classmates again. So we got to thinking that we wanted to go to Japan too, so we could see all our family and old friends again"

"So ya guys are coming too?" Kari asked suspiciously

"Yeah, ya don't mind do ya?" Sora asked

"Well...no" Kari replied

"Great! We'll have a good time then!" Sora quickly replied

"If ya say so" Kari quietly mumbled to herself.

They all boarded the plane. Kari had a suspicious feeling Sora was up to something or she would have said something sooner to her about them coming to Japan with her. She shrugged it off and grabbed a window seat. It would give her something to look at when Sora would go off on one of her tangents about what the Digidestin are doing now days. A few hours later, they landed in New York and switched planes to California. When they finally got to Los Angeles, they switched planes again and were now on the flight to Japan.

The flight was taking forever. Kari couldn't remember it taking this long the last time she flew from California to Japan and vise versa. She normally slept on plane rides to make them quicker, but she couldn't get herself to fall asleep. She was too nervous to fall asleep. Too nervous to see him again. Kari couldn't tell her fiance the real reason she didn't want to go back to Japan was because she was afraid how she might act when she would see TK again. Would see be scared or full of anger when she saw him again, she didn't know. Would she run madly into his loving arms, part of her hoped so.

The plane finally landed in Japan late Friday afternoon, the day before Kari's 'ten year reunion'. Tai, Sora and Kari all headed to their hotel first. Brian booked rooms for them in Japan's most luxurious hotel. Tai and Sora had a normal hotel room on a normal floor with all the rest of the tourists. They couldn't afford a big and fancy hotel suite like the one Brian got for Kari. Kari's hotel suite was on the top floor and it was the most beautiful hotel room she had ever seen. Now she knew what it felt like to be a celebrity.

They all went out for a nice supper unknowingly to Kari at Davis's restaurant. Davis watched them eat from afar. He wasn't a creeper, he just couldn't believe Kari Kamiya was eating in his restaurant. When they finished, they went back to the hotel where Kari left Brian several voicemail messages. Kari felt jet-lagged and decided to go to bed early. She knew tomorrow would be a long day.

Kari woke up the next morning to someone knocking on her door. She hoped and prayed it was Brian but was disappointed when she saw Sora. Sora suggested they go and check out the hotel spa. The girls were impressed and spent the rest of the morning getting mud baths, massages, and just relaxing. After lunch, Sora took her to get her nails and hair done and while she was there, Sora got her's done too. Kari wanted a drastic makeover. She told the hair stylist to cut her hair short. When the hair stylist was done, Kari's long, shiny, beautiful hair was short, curly, and flirty. It was somewhere between ear length and shoulder length and Kari loved it.

When Kari got back to the hotel, she put on a new dress that she bought for the reunion. It was a bright red dress that screamed 'look at me!'. When she had put on her shoes and her jewelry, the limo Brian arranged to take her to the reunion was there to pick her up. Kari stared out of the window and her nerves kicked into overdrive. _'I'm not ready for this!' _Kari thought to herself as she began to panic.

"Kari! The limo is here!" Sora yelled through the door. Kari went to let her in

"I don't think I can do this Sora" said Kari, noticing Sora was still in her robe the spa gave her

"Oh yes ya can! It's just your classmates" replied Sora, trying to calm her down

"No, its not. It's everybody I have avoided for the past ten years!" Kari exclaimed. "I can't believe ya dragged me here! Ugh...I can't wait to get out of this town!"

"Kari, you'll be just fine. Would ya like me to go with ya?" Sora asked

Kari sighed, "I suppose it would help calm me down if ya escorted me there"

"Great, I'll go get Tai and we'll meet ya down in the limo!" Sora quickly replied

Kari slowly walked down to the limo, purposely wasting time. Sora ran back to her room and threw her robe on the bed. She was already wearing a chic little black dress underneath. Tai was already waiting for her. He was wearing a nice pair of dress pants and a nice shirt. They quickly walked down to the limo and got in.

"Why are ya guys all dressed up?"

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pandabear24- The next chapter is where this story really starts to take off... see ya there!


	10. Whatsername

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- Sorry bout the hiatus! I started college last weekend and I never got a chance to upload another chapter before I left! Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter!

Ken- pandabear24 **doesn't **own Digimon, Nascar or Degrassi! Please don't sue!

pandabear24- Not your best work Ken, but I'll let it slide...

Ken- Thanks...On with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Whatsername'  
(don't own Green Day either)

"Why are ya guys all dressed up?" Kari asked suspiciously when Tai and Sora got in the limo. "How did you change so fast?"

"Well ya see..." Tai started to explain

"To tell the truth Kari, I was kinda hoping you'd let me come with you cause after we drop you off, Tai is taking me to a romantic dinner" Sora lied

"Oh...really?" Kari asked, "That's nice"

The limo left the hotel and the closer it got to its destination, the more nervous Kari got. When the limo pulled up to the large building where the reunion was being held, Kari just sat and stared. She couldn't get herself to get out and walk in. She was too scared.

"This is so exciting! This reminds me of our ten year reunion" Sora said

"Yeah, do ya think they would let us in for a few minutes?" asked Tai

"Maybe. Do ya want us to go in with ya Kari?" Sora asked her sister-in-law

"No" answered Kari and she shook her head, "There are somethings I have to do alone"

The limo driver got out and opened her door. He graciously helped her out like she was a famous celebrity. Kari stood and watched as several people walked up the steps into the large building. Tai and Sora got out of the limo and Kari was secretly glad they did. They helped her get the courage to walk up the steps and into the reunion. When they walked in the doors, Kari turned around for moral support but Tai and Sora were gone. _'Where'd they go?'_

The nerves were coming back, but Kari kept walking. She walked up to a table to get her already made "Hello...my name is..." name tag and recognized her favorite history teacher sitting behind it. _'Maybe this won't be so bad after all'_

Kari followed a group of people down a long hallway into a giant room filled with hundreds of people. Immediately Kari was confused, she knew she didn't have this many people in her graduating class. She took a closer look of the people standing around her, she recognized a few of them but they weren't from her class. Kari looked around for one of those banners that said something like "Welcome Class of 2008" or "Ten Year Reunion" but instead saw several banners that said "Welcome Odiaba High School Alumni". Kari finally realized she wasn't at her ten year reunion, but instead at the all school reunion!

Kari was pissed. How did this happen? She started looking for Tai and Sora and saw them running away from her, even though she wasn't chasing them. Kari walked after them, she wanted answers. She found them standing with a group of very familiar people.

"Tai, Sora! Did they send me the wrong invitation?" Kari asked them, almost ignoring her old friends

"Hey Kari!" Izzy happily greeted her and so did the rest of the digidestin

"Hey" Kari replied, "How did this happen?"

"Well ya see..." Sora started to explain

"Sora photoshopped your invitation so that ya would miss you ten year reunion and come to the all school reunion to see all your friends again" Tai interrupted his wife. Sora angrily elbowed him in the ribs

"Ya what?!" Kari angrily asked, "Ya tricked me into going to this stupid thing?"

"Yeah...I'm sorry Kari! I just wanted to ya to see all your friends again" Sora apologized.

"So Kari, what have you been up to in the last ten years?" Jake asked her, breaking the tension between the two sister-in-laws

Kari took a good look at her old high school friends and calmed down when a certain someone wasn't there. They had all changed in ten years, yet they still looked very much the same. Mimi, Yolie and even Sora had all gained weight thanks to childbirth. The guys, Tai, Matt, Izzy, Joe, Davis, Ken, Jake, and Cody all seemed to be mature adults.

"Well I went to college and became a teacher" answered Kari, embarrassed about how she acted just a few seconds ago

"So I saw you got engaged in the paper." Joe casually said

"Ya did?" Kari asked and all the digidestin nodded their heads, "Wow!"

"Show us the ring!" Yolie demanded and Kari held out her hand to show everyone the huge rock on her finger

"When are you getting married?" Mimi asked

"December 20th." Kari answered as she put down her hand

"Are you getting married here or in America?" Davis asked

"We're getting married in America" answered Kari

"You don't want to get married here?" asked Ken

"It never really came to mind. A lot of our friends live in America so we thought it would be more convenient to have the wedding in America" explained Kari

"What about us?" Davis asked, "Jake, Yolie, Ken, Cody, TK and me all still live in Japan."

"I'm sorry...I don't really know" replied Kari as she shrugged her shoulders. She began to feel really bad. She never even thought about inviting them.

"So are you and Brian deciding on having kids soon?" Cody asked

"Well...Since the Nascar schedule is so hectic, we're going to hold off on having kids. Brian thinks it would be best to wait until he retires in a few years" Kari explained with a slight hint of sadness.

The Digidestin were shocked, not even Tai or Sora knew this. They all knew of Kari's dreams of getting married and having many kids. They knew she loved children and couldn't wait to have her own. It was the major reason why she became a elementary teacher.

--

TK walked up the steps and into the building where the all school reunion was being held. He had gone to every all school reunion since he graduated, hoping to find Kari there. He got his "Hello...my name is..." name tag and started walking down the hallway that led him to the reunion. As he walked down the hallway, he noticed several class pictures hanging on the wall. Odiaba High School was a young school, with thirty-four graduating classes so far. He slowed the pace of his walk, looking for the class of 2008's class picture. As he got closer, he couldn't help but notice a familiar person staring at the wall.

"Seth?" asked TK, surprised to see him here. TK never saw him at any of the all school reunions. It was the first time since Seth graduated eleven years ago that TK had seen him.

"TK!" greeted Seth when he turned around, "My man, how are you?"

"I am good. How have you been since we last saw each other?" asked TK

"I don't know. I can't remember!" replied Seth very seriously

"Are you...high?" TK asked

"Totally." Seth coolly answered and started following TK as TK looked for his class picture. "So did you ever marry whatsername? Carrie, Karen...Moeshia?"

"Kari?" TK asked as he looked at the blown up picture of his graduating class. He couldn't help but look at Kari in the picture when he said her name

"Yeah..." Seth replied

"No. We broke up in high school and I haven't seen her since we graduated" TK explained. "Did you end up marrying Jessica?"

"Yeah...I think so" answered Seth seriously again

"Well... I think I'm gonna go in" TK said and he left Seth to look at his class picture. TK figured he was amused by all the bright colors in the picture but he wasn't sure.

TK walked into the main hall where to see hundreds of people talking amongst themselves. He immediately started looking for the Digidestin. He hadn't seen most of them since last year's all school reunion. TK walked around until he finally found them gathered around an all too familiar girl in a red dress. He became excited yet at the same time very nervous. What was he going to say to her? How was he going to act around her?

He decided he needed to loosen up first and walked over to the open bar. TK figured a shot of his favorite beverage would calm his nerves. As he sat at the bar, he kept his eye on Kari, never letting her out of his sight. After his eighth shot and second beer, the bartender stopped serving TK. He finally decided he was loosened up enough and started walking over to the group.

"But Kari, you love kids!" Yolie exclaimed but Kari just shrugged her shoulders

"Well...I think I'm gonna go" said Kari. She had enough of their interrogation of her life.

"Kari! Ya just got here!" Sora exclaimed

"I meant, to go get punch" Kari lied and left to go over to the punch table. When the Digidestin weren't looking, she started walking towards the door.

"Hey guys. Where's Kari?" TK asked when he met up with the Digidestin

"Hey TK! Um... she left to go get...punch?" Tai answered but saw she wasn't at the punch table

"Damn it, I bet she's trying to leave" Sora said as she stood on her tippy toes, trying to look over the hundreds of alumni's heads to see if she was leaving

"Is he drunk?" Jake asked as he watched TK leave as quickly as he came

TK started walking back towards the door. He spotted a girl in a bright red dress and tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned around, TK realized it was the wrong person. He quickly apologized and started his search again. TK finally found Kari near the door and was certain it was her. He ran up to her and grabbed her wrist, whipping her around to face him.

"Did you think you would leave without saying goodbye to me?" TK asked

"Are ya drunk?" Kari asked as she smelled the alcohol on his breath. With her free hand, she fanned the air in front of her face to get rid of his alcohol breath.

"Maybe" he answered ashamed

"Let go of me TK" Kari sternly ordered but TK only tightened his grip on her wrist

"I just wanna talk" TK simply replied

"Then start talking" said Kari, still very angry

"I love you Kari" TK drunkenly blurted, shocking himself and Kari.

"Well ya know what TK? I _don't _love ya. So ya should just move on with your life, cause I know I have." Kari replied, trying to wiggle her wrist free. TK heard her but chose to ignore it. He leaned in for a kiss only to get a big slap in the face. TK immediately let her go and Kari angrily stormed out the door. TK just stood there, rubbing his sore cheek. Sora walked up to him and gave him a supportive hug. She had seen everything from the punch table.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to get wasted before seeing her for the first time in ten years huh?" TK asked sadly

"No, it wasn't." answered Sora as she patted him on the back

"I just wasted one last chance with her" TK started to go off on a tangent, "I shouldn't have grabbed her wrist like that. I shouldn't have tried to kiss her. I shouldn't have..."

"TK, it's alright!" Sora tried to calm him down. "She's staying here in Japan for a week before she's going home again."

"Really? Are you serious?" TK asked in disbelief

"Yeah, Brian thought it would be good to see all her old friends again before the wedding" Sora explained

"_Wedding_? She's getting _married_? To _Brian_?" TK angrily exclaimed

"Wait, she didn't tell ya?" Sora asked

"No!" TK answered angrily, "Why didn't _you_ tell me?"

"I thought for sure ya would have read about it! It was in very newspaper around the world!" Sora explained, "And I thought for sure she would have told ya"

"No!" TK exclaimed

"I don't understand how ya didn't know. You're a sports journalist!" said Sora

"I don't know, ok? Do you know which hotel she is staying in? I have to apologize to her" TK asked

"She's staying at the Hilton" answered Sora

"The Hilton?" TK asked, shocked Kari would be staying at such a lavish hotel

"Yeah" replied Sora as she watched him run out the doors.

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pandabear24- Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter!! Keep them coming!!


	11. What I Want

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- I'm so sorry for such a long delay! Since I've started college, I just haven't had the time like I use to. I will try to update as soon and as much as possible! And **THANK YOU** to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Keep them coming!!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon, Nascar or Degrassi. So please don't sue!

pandabear24- Amazing disclaimer as usual Ken!

Ken- Thanks pandabear24!! Great last chapter as usual!

pandabear24- Thanks Ken! Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'What I Want'  
(don't own Daughtry either)

TK hailed down the first taxi he saw and rushed over to Kari's hotel. Only celebrities and extremely rich people stayed at the Hilton. TK didn't know many tourists who stayed there just to stay there. When the taximeter reached fifty dollars, TK told the cab driver to pull over. He paid the man and ran the rest of the way to the hotel. When he got to Kari's hotel, he waited outside before he went in. TK didn't want to enter the hotel tired and sweaty from running ten city blocks. When TK's heart rate steadied and his breathing became normal again, he casually walked into the hotel. He walked up to the front desk.

"Can you please tell me which hotel room Kari Kamiya is staying in?" TK politely asked

"I'm sorry sir. We can't give that information out" the man behind the desk explained

"I'm her husband" TK lied

"_You're _Brian Vickers?" the desk clerk asked in disbelief, "Ca ca ca can I have an autograph?"

"Yeah sure" TK casually replied and the desk clerk frantically searched for a blank piece of paper for him to autograph. When the clerk found one, TK casually signed it like he had done this a million times before.

"Thank you sir! Your wife is in suite number 1024 on the top floor" the desk clerk informed him

"Thank you" said TK and started walking over to the elevator

"No, thank_ you_!" the desk clerk called out but TK was already in the elevator.

TK was greeted by the elevator operator standing in the corner. He kindly told the elevator operator he was going to the top floor and the middle aged man in uniform pressed the button for him. It was the longest elevator ride TK had ever been on. The gold plated doors opened when they reached the top floor. TK started looking for suite 1024 but he didn't have to look hard. He could hear someone loudly crying and TK followed the loud sobs until he reached suite 1024. TK pressed his ear to her door. He could hear her talking to someone.

Kari dialed Brian's number for the third time since she got back to the hotel. It was early morning in America and she figured Brian was still probably sleeping on his flight here. It was the third voicemail she had left him.

"Oh Brian, it was horrible! Sora tricked me into going to this stupid thing and all I wanna do is go home! I knew I should have stayed home with ya! I hope ya get here soon. I really need to talk to ya and I really miss ya!" Kari cried into her phone. She was crying so hard, Brian probably wouldn't be able to understand a word she was saying. "Please, just get here as soon as possible!"

Kari slapped the cell phone shut and cried some more. She was full of different emotions. She was pissed Sora tricked into coming to the stupid all school reunion. She was pissed at TK for grabbing her like he did and for trying to kiss her. And she was upset with herself for the way she acted tonight. She randomly looked over at the door and saw the hallway light coming from the small gap underneath the door being blocked. Was Brian here already? She became excited when she heard a knock on the door. Kari rushed over to open it only be disappointed and upset all over again.

"Hey Kari" TK greeted her. He could see she had been crying.

"How did ya know I was staying here?" Kari angrily asked him, "Are ya stalking me?"

"No, no, no! Sora told me you were staying here!" TK explained to her. He gazed down at her hand to see the giant diamond ring glisten in the dim hallway light. He couldn't believe he didn't notice it at the reunion. It made his engagement ring he was going to give Kari ten years ago look pathetic and cheap, although he knew it wasn't cheap at all.

"So what do ya want? Ya want to try to drunkenly kiss me again?" asked Kari sarcastically. TK could even see the anger in her eyes

"No. I'm here to apologize for the way I acted. It was unacceptable and I am sorry" he sincerely apologized. "I know I was drunk but I really meant it when I said I loved you"

"And I really meant it when I said I didn't love ya" Kari replied, "I think ya should go"

"No Kari! Can we please talk about this?" TK begged her

"I don't wanna talk about this." said Kari as she began to close the door but TK quickly stuck his foot in the door before she could close it.

"Kari, can't we just talk like two mature adults?" asked TK

"No! Now leave!" she yelled back at him and pointed towards the elevator. Two hotel security guards patrolling the floor could hear them yelling. They quickly rushed to Kari's suite to see if she was alright.

"Is everything ok here?" one of the security guards asked Kari

"No, this man won't leave me alone!" Kari angrily told the security guards.

"No, no, I know her! We went to high school together and dated for three years!" TK quickly explained to the security guards

"Sure you did. Lets go buster" the second security guard said as they began to escort TK out of the hotel.

TK looked back at Kari to see her sad and embarrassed face. She wouldn't even look at him. He could tell she was about to start crying again. TK knew she didn't mean anything she had just said to him. When the security guards escorted him out of the hotel, they passed by the front desk. The desk clerk was surprised to see him being escorted. The desk clerk quickly googled the famous Nascar driver on the internet only to find out he had been conned by the blond hair, blue eyed man.

Kari woke up the next morning to her phone ringing. She reached for it from where it layed on the nightstand. She became excited when she saw it was Brian from the caller ID.

"Brian! Thank God you called! Please tell me you're almost here!" Kari exclaimed

"I miss ya too!" Brian chuckled

"I'm sorry baby! I miss ya and love ya too" said Kari

"It sounds like ya had a bad time last night? Huh?" Brian said

"It was horrible Brian." Kari replied, "Please tell me you're almost here. I need ya right now!"

"I'm sorry babe. We had a bad race last night and the team wants to spend all week testing and preparing for the Chase. We can't run like we did tonight in the Chase. So I'm afraid I can't come spend the rest of the week with you in Japan" explained Brian as Kari began to cry. "Please don't cry babe! You know if I could be there, I'd be there in a heartbeat."

"Then I'm coming home!" Kari exclaimed

"No Kari. I honestly think ya need a break from all this wedding planning. Ya need to relax with old family and friends." said Brian

"I just wanna be with ya" Kari cried into the phone

"You will in a few days." Brian said as she could hear him yawn. "It's pretty late here babe, I'll call ya later ok?"

"Ok" and Kari hung up.

Kari cried on her bed as she realized she would have to suffer five more days in Japan. She cried herself to sleep only to be awaken to someone pounding on her door. She cautiously got out of bed, afraid TK had snuck back into the hotel. Kari looked through the peak hole on the door to see Sora standing outside her door.

"Kari!" she yelled

"Go away!" Kari angrily yelled back.

Sora, wanting to respect Kari's wishes, walked away and Kari walked back to her bed. She looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw it was almost noon. Kari ordered room service and turned the TV on to watch SPEED Channel's re-airing of the Nascar race like she always did in high school. Kari really loved Nascar back in high school but was never dedicated enough to wake up at one in the morning to watch the live broadcasts of the Nascar race so she always watched the re-airing. As Kari ate lunch, she watched Brian struggle during the race. He finished the race not one, but two laps down. The car just never handled. Brian couldn't turn in the corner and couldn't stay on the bottom of the race track. He ended up finishing twenty-fourth in the race.

After the race, Kari slepted until her stomach woke her up a few hours later. She ordered room service again and filled the hot tub in her suite with hot water. Kari soaked in the tub for several hours before she got out and went to bed again. The next morning, she was rudely awaken by someone pulling the blankets off her bed.

"Wake up! I'm not gonna let ya hide in your amazing hotel room and wallow in your own self pity!" Sora said as she jumped off the bed and opened the curtains to let the bright sunshine in.

"How'd ya get in my room?" Kari angrily asked her sister-in-law

"I asked for a key. I had to make sure ya were still alive" Sora explained as she began to set out Kari's clothes for the day.

"Ok, I'm alive! Now ya can go!" said Kari and hid back under the covers

"How about not?" Sora replied, "Cause we are gonna go shopping!"

"Shopping?" Kari asked suspiciously, she was having a hard time trusting Sora in anything she was saying

"Yeah cause I mean hello! We are staying in one of the fashion capitols of the world! We have to do a little shopping before we go home!" Sora explained

Kari reluctantly got dressed and got in the limo with Sora to go shopping. They went to every designer clothing store in Tokyo. Kari was loving the benefits of being a Nascar driver's fiancee. She could never afford all these kinds of clothes when she use to live here as a teenager.

"Kari, I'm really sorry for tricking ya into coming here" Sora apologized as she stood next Kari looking at a clothing rack of designer dresses.

"Ya are?" asked Kari

"Yeah, I am. I just wanted ya to see all your old friends again before the wedding. I wanted ya to remember your past and to remember where ya came from." Sora explained. "I love America, I love Tai, and I love my job but sometimes I really miss Japan and everyone here. Sometimes, I wish I had never taken those tickets Tai gave me after I graduated high school and just stayed in Japan, even if that meant not being able to marry my true love."

"Ya would give up everything just to live in Japan again?" Kari asked shocked by Sora words

"Yeah, I would. But I know how much Nascar means to Tai and I want to make him happy. Unless a Nascar series started here in Japan, I would never make Tai move back to Japan" replied Sora

Kari thought back to the days she use to live in the Japan. They were some of the happiest days of her life. Now she lived in America and was happy, just not as happy as she was when she lived in Japan. Maybe Sora was on to something?

"Sometimes, I wish I had never taken those Nascar tickets and dragged TK with me to America." said Kari, "That trip ruined my life"

"Ya know, your life can't be ruined too badly if you're marrying a rich and famous Nascar driver" Sora stated. Just as she said that, she realized a hidden feeling behind Kari's words. Did Kari still love TK?

"I know," replied Kari, "But sometimes, I don't know what I want in life"

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pandabear24- Please keep reviewing!


	12. I Loved Her First

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- I'm so sorry for such a long delay! Since I've been in college, I just haven't had the time to write. However, I have fall break next week and I'll be home to upload another chapter soon! And **thank you** to everyone who reviewed!! You guys rock my socks off!!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon, Nascar or Degassi. So please don't waste your time suing a poor college student...

pandabear24- Ohhhhh... NICE!

Ken- I thought so too!

pandabear24- Haha...On with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'I Loved Her First'  
(don't own Heartland either)

When the girls had finished shopping for the day, Sora had another surprise for Kari. The two sister-in-laws got back in the limo and Sora handed the limo driver an address written on a yellow piece of paper. Kari was becoming very suspicious but was too overwhelmed by all the new clothes she bought to even care. She just hoped Brian wouldn't be too upset that she spent thousands of dollars on clothes. But Kari just figured that would be like pocket change for him.

"Where are we going Sora?" Kari asked when they drove past the hotel

"It's a surprise" answered Sora. Immediately Kari's face turned white as a ghost. "Oh don't worry, you'll be fine!"

"Yeah, ya said the same thing bout the reunion and look how that turned out" replied Kari with a hint of anger.

The limo drove out of the suburbs and out the city limits and into the country. Kari hadn't seen Japan's country side since she was in high school. The last time she saw it was on the ski trip her and the digidesten went on when she was a junior. They pulled up to a fancy house hidden by two giant evergreen trees. She saw several cars parked outside and was very suspicious of Sora.

"Sora...where are we?" asked Kari

"We're at Ken and Yolie's house!" Sora replied and jumped out before the chauffeur could open her door.

Kari waited for the driver to come and open her door before she got out. She could see the the big grin on Sora's face and how excited she was. It only made Kari worry more that TK would be here. Deep down, she was excited but she was more nervous than she was excited. Sora walked to the door with Kari and rang the door bell. They waited a few seconds before Yolie answered the door. Yolie greeted her fellow digidesten with hugs and welcomed them into her house.

"Wow Yolie, ya have a beautiful house!" Kari said as she marveled at her luscious home.

"Thanks Kari! I'm glad you could make it this year" Yolie replied and gave Kari a quick tour of the her home. "And thats my house! You can go into the living room. Everyone is sitting around in there"

Kari slowly walked into the living room. She was afraid TK was here. She hoped she wouldn't act like such a bitch to him this time. To Kari's relief, everyone but TK was sitting around and visiting, which calmed Kari's nerves. She was surprised to see all the digimon there too. But it made her sad to see all of them there except for Gatomon and Patamon.

"Hey Kari!" Jake greeted her, "It's good to see you again!"

"Hi Jake" Kari shyly greeted back and took an open seat by Izzy.

"Kari!" a white feline exclaimed and ran towards her.

"Gatomon!" Kari exclaimed back and gave her a hug. "How'd ya get here?

"Genaii transports me here every year!" answered Gatomon "Oh my gosh! We haven't talked in forever! How are ya? How is Brian? How is the wedding going?"

"I am good" Kari replied as she laughed at Gatomon, "Brian's good, the wedding is going good. Everything is good"

"Thats great!" replied Gatomon. She sat down on Kari's lap like she use to back in the day. But Gatomon started to get annoyed with Kari. Gatomon was having a hard time keeping the conversation going with Kari and after about a half hour she left to go talk to the other digimon.

Kari didn't talk much, she mostly listened to everyone's stories. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Kari loved to talk but now she felt like she didn't know any of her old friends anymore. Maybe she should have kept in touch with all them after all these years. Maybe she should have listened to all of Sora's updates on the digidestin. _'What have I done?'_

"So Kari," Izzy started talking to her in a low whisper so no one could here, "Are you having a good time?"

"I guess so" replied Kari in the same low whisper

"I've never known you to be so quiet" said Izzy which made Kari smile. "You know, when I was ten years old...I kinda had a crush on you"

"What?" Kari quietly exclaimed

"Yeah...I thought you were so cute" Izzy explained, "But Tai just scared me cause you know how protective he is"

"Yeah, I do" Kari quietly laughed

"But if you are ever in New York City, you should let me know. So you know...we could hang out or something" said Izzy sheepishly

"I'm coming to New York in December for the Nascar Awards Banquet, maybe we could do something" replied Kari

"Yeah, we'll definately have to meet up" Izzy said as he stared at the diamond ring on her left hand.

"Maybe I should go help Yolie in the kitchen" said Kari as she got up. She was starting to feel a little uncomfortable talking to Izzy.

As Kari was walking to the kitchen she could here gravel popping from outside. She stood completely still as she heard a car door slam. Kari began to panic. There was only one person who still wasn't here, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who just pulled up to Ken and Yolie's house. Kari looked at the kitchen on her left and the stairs right in front of her. She quickly, yet quietly ran up the stairs. She stopped a few steps from the top so she could see him again.

The door bell rang and Yolie rushed over to the door. She didn't even notice Kari sitting on her stairs. Yolie opened the door and gave TK and Patamon a big hug and welcomed him into her home. As Yolie escorted TK and Patamon in her living room, Kari quickly ran to the first upstairs room that was open and quietly shut the door. Kari looked around the dimly lit room. She could tell she was in Ken and Yolie's guest bedroom. She walked over to the little bookshelf in the corner of the room and sat on the edge of the bed as she read the book titles. One book caught her eye and she pulled it out. She started looking at her high yearbook for the first time in years.

Yolie escorted TK into her living room as she went back into the kitchen. Seconds later she came back out with a plate of freshly baked cookies and set them on the coffee table for everyone. Yolie sat next to her husband, Ken and TK sat down by Tai and Sora. He was confused when he didn't see Kari here. Sora had promised him she would be here. However, he knew if he went looking for her, she would probably end up running away from him any so he stayed in the living room with the rest of the Digidestin.

"Hey, Tai. Where is Kari?" TK whispered to him after about an hour and a half

"I don't know. I haven't seen her for a while" answered Tai, "Hey Sora, have ya seen Kari?"

"No I haven't" Sora answered and sighed, "I can't believe how stubborn she can be sometimes"

"I think I'm going to get a glass of water" TK said and got up from the couch.

"That sounds good, I'll come with ya" Tai quickly said and followed him to the kitchen.

"It's not fair Tai" TK complained when they were out of earshot of the others, "I loved her first!"

"I know TK." Tai replied, "You didn't know she was getting married?"

"No, I had to find out at the reunion! Apparently I am the last person on Earth to find out!" TK angrily answered

"I'm sorry TK. But I don't get it...you're a sports reporter! How did ya not know?" Tai calmly asked

"I don't know!" answered TK trying to control his anger, "I can't believe she's marrying Brian freakin Vickers of all people!"

"They actually make a cute couple" Tai replied without thinking

"Ugh...What am I going to do? She means everything to me Tai." TK asked more calmly

"I don't know what to tell you TK. But I know Kari's in this house somewhere. Maybe now that you're sober tonight, she'll talk to you without freaking out and leaving" Tai replied and walked back into the living room.

When Tai was gone, TK ran to the basement and checked every room. When he couldn't find her, checked on the main floor. TK still couldn't locate her so he decided to check the upstairs. It was the only logical place she could be. He knew Ken and Yolie's kids slept upstairs so he crept around extra quietly. He peeked into each room until TK came to the guest bedroom. He couldn't believe he didn't check this room first.

TK slowly turned the doorknob to see Kari sitting towards the bedroom window. She didn't even hear him open the door. He quietly shut the door and walked over to her to see what she was doing. TK was shocked to see her looking at their old high school yearbook.

"Does that bring back memories or what?" TK asked her. Her body jumped at the sound of his voice, he had scared her. He could tell by her heavy breathing.

"What do ya want?" Kari asked just as angrily as she was at the reunion

"I just want to talk" TK calmly answered her. He sat down a few feet away from her on the bed and surprisingly she didn't run.

"You've been wanting to talk a lot lately" Kari angrily replied, "So start talking cause I have nothing to say to ya"

"Why didn't you tell me you're getting married?" TK asked her

"What? How did ya_ not _know? It was in _every_ paper around the world! And besides, aren't ya a sports journalist?" Kari retorted

"Yeah, so I've heard. But that doesn't mean I actually read about it in the paper!" TK replied, he could feel himself getting mad

"Well that's you're own fault" said Kari coldly

"How can you even get married to him" TK asked

"Because I_ love _him!" Kari answered

"How? He's like seven years old than you! He's old enough to be your brother!" TK stated

"Well...so are you!" said Kari, she couldn't think of a good comeback.

"Kari...I'm six months other than you" TK matter-of-factly replied

"Whatever! I don't need this!" Kari angrily said as she threw the yearbook at him and walked out of the room.

Kari ran down the stairs and TK followed her. She ran outside and was relieved to see the limo was still here, waiting for her. She jogged over to the back door to find the chauffeur sitting in the back watching tv. Surprised to see Kari, the chauffeur quickly got out and ran to the driver seat.

"Kari, please don't go!" TK yelled after her but she had already slammed the door.

"Go, go, go!" She yelled to the limo driver and he stepped on the gas. He spun the tires as he left.

"Where to madam" the chauffeur politely asked

"Back to the hotel"

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pandabear24- **Please keep reviewing**!


	13. Hard To Love You

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- I take it as a sign of maturity when my intros for the chapters get shorter and shorter...haha

Ken- Or you're just lazy

pandabear24- Or that too!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon, Nascar or Degrassi. Please don't sue!

pandabear24- Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Hard to Love You'  
(don't own The Wreckers either)

TK angrily kicked the gravel as he watched Kari drive away. He couldn't believe she was running away again. He ran back in the house to grab Patamon and then hopped into his old junker of a car and sped back into Tokyo after her. The closest parking space TK found was several blocks away from the hotel Kari was staying at. He remembered the last time he tried to visit Kari. This time TK tried to casually walk into the hotel but when he saw the same desk clerk from the night of the reunion, he knew he wasn't going to get far. The desk clerk recognized TK as soon as TK recognized him and he pressed the security button. TK kicked himself out when he saw the security guards coming to escort him out.

Kari watched TK leave the hotel from her suite window. Although he looked like a tiny blond dot, she could still easily point him out in the crowd from twenty-four stories up. She was relieved the hotel security kicked him out again, yet she was disappointed. Part of her really did want to talk to him but the other part of her wouldn't let her. She was just as confused now as she was in high school.

TK sadly climbed back into his car and drove back home. When he got home, he grabbed his old laptop and walked down to the cyber cafe down the street to work on several articles for tomorrow's paper. He liked the free internet service and the quiet atmosphere.

Kari looked at her cell phone on the night stand. She wanted to call Brian but she knew he would still be asleep. She had no one to talk to. The one person who did want to talk to her, she always pushed away. The one digimon who wanted to Kari to open up, she shut out. Kari was good at pushing people away. She had done it for the last ten years of her life. The more she thought about TK, the more her emotions twisted and the more her head hurt. She cried herself to sleep for another night.

The next morning Kari woke up upset that she once again didn't make it down the isle. Ever since she arrived in Japan, she had her same wedding dream every night. Not long after she got up and ordered room service, her hotel room phone rang. She hesitated before she answered, afraid it was TK. Kari was relieved yet annoyed to hear Sora's voice on the other end.

"Hey Kari!" Sora happily greeted

"Hey Sora" Kari replied not quite as happily

"Do ya want to talk about last night?" asked Sora

"No, not really" Kari answered

"Ugh...please don't tell me you're going to stay in your hotel room all day!" said Sora

"Fine, I won't" Kari replied and stubbornly hung up the phone.

Kari walked over to her door and locked and latched the door before Sora could come and open it with the extra room key. She layed on her bed and watched paper-view movies all day as she ate the room service food. It kept her distracted long enough to keep her mind off her problems. Brian called her when he finished testing. Hearing his voice calmed and relaxed Kari. He was the only person she wanted to talk to.

"I don't want to stay here anymore" Kari complained

"Ya don't like the hotel room?" asked Brian, "I can get ya a different one"

"Oh, no! This hotel is just fine. I meant I want to go home!" Kari clarified, "I miss ya and I just want to go home!"

"You'll be home in America in four days." Brian replied

"But I want to go home now!" Kari complained some more

"I know ya do babe." Brian said, "Hey listen, I gotta go. I'll call ya later ok?"

"Ok, love ya" replied Kari

"I love ya too" and Brian hung up

--

Kari woke up the next morning to room service she didn't order. The person who delivered the free food handed her a note. Kari read the note as the person left her room.

_I bought you this expensive food the least you could do is let me talk to you later this afternoon.  
__Sora_

It was a nice gesture on Sora's part. She had never had shrimp, lobster and caviar for breakfast before. Kari graciously ate the free meal and later that afternoon went down to Sora's hotel room. Sora happily opened the door and welcomed her into the room.

"Kari what happened the other night?" Sora asked

"Nothing" Kari calmly answered

"Ugh...Are ya ever gonna tell me?" asked Sora

"Probably not" Kari answered

"Fine, but could ya at least get dressed?" Sora asked

"Why?" Kari asked suspiciously

"Cause we're going to have supper with Davis and his wife Sarah tonight" Sora explained

"Tonight?" Kari asked

"No...next month" Sora sarcastically replied, "Yes tonight! Now go put something nice on"

Kari sighed as she turned around and back to her suite. She put on a light pink halter top dress that hugged her body just right. She straightened her short curly hair and met Tai and Sora in the lobby forty-five minutes later. They hopped in the limo and drove to Davis's restaurant. The hostess directed them to a table in a separate part of the restaurant. It was a secluded part of the restaurant where all the celebrities ate when they came to eat at Davis's restaurant. Davis and Sarah were already waiting for them when they arrived. Kari took a seat next to Sarah when she realized something was wrong. She counted the chairs at the table and the people sitting in them. There were six chairs and only five people here.

"Why do we have an extra chair?" Kari susciously asked

"Oh, Sora told me to set a table for six." Davis explained

"Well I was going to invite Ken and Yolie but ya wouldn't come out of your room and I thought ya would enjoy this" Sora quickly added

"Oh" Kari replied and calmed down

Kari couldn't help but feel like Sora was trying to set her up with TK. Every time Sora dragged her out of the hotel TK coincidentally showed up. She was glad to hear no one, especially not TK, was going to join them. She picked up the menu and started looking at the exquisite choices.

"Sorry I'm late" an all too familiar voice apologized

Kari slammed the menu on the table and looked up to see TK. She glanced at the empty seat on her left and back at TK. She felt herself getting nervous and scared. TK took the empty spot next to Kari and picked up the menu, ignoring her as if she wasn't even there.

"Hey TK" Sora happily greeted

"Hey guys" he greeted back

As the night went on, TK and Kari sat quietly in their chairs as they listened to Tai, Sora, Davis and Sarah talk amongst themselves. They tried to get TK and Kari to join their conversations but neither had much to say. Kari avoided looking over at TK and TK did the same.

"Excuse me but I have to use the restroom" Sora said as she got out of her chair

"So do I" said Sarah and she followed the tall, red head to the bathroom.

"Hey Tai, you do want to come with me and help choose another bottle of wine to drink?" asked Davis and Tai accepted.

The two men walked away from the table leaving the former lovers by themselves. Kari knew this was planned and she was pissed. This was her worst nightmare. Kari fiddled with the silverware, doing whatever she could to avoid conversation with TK.

"I'm sorry about the other night at Ken and Yolie's house" TK quietly apologized. Kari continued to ignore him, hoping the conversation would just end. "Can we please talk without one of us walking away?"

"What do you want?" Kari stubbornly asked

"I just want to talk to you" TK answered and Kari crossed her arms and stared directly at the wall in front of her. He knew this would be a one sided conversation. "I know you don't want to hear it Kari, but I still love you. Finally seeing you after all these years has made me fall in love with you even more. I have never stopped loving you and I never will."

"Finally seeing ya after all these years has made me glad I dumped your sorry ass. You're a pathetic drunk who can't seem to let go of the past!" Kari retorted, "Get it through freakin head, I don't love you!"

"Why do you make it so hard to love you?" TK asked

"I don't want ya to love me!" Kari angrily exclaimed, "Just move on with your life! I promise ya, you'll be much happier if ya do."

"Well maybe I don't want to move on. Maybe I want to try to tell the girl of my dreams how much I love her and how much I miss her and how much I still want her in my life. You're the only girl for me Kari. You're the only person I have ever truly loved. You're the only girl I want to spend the rest of my life with" TK replied

"Well thats not my problem. Unlike ya have I have moved on with my life and I fell in love with someone else" said Kari

"It sure took you long enough." replied TK

"What's that suppose to mean?" Kari angrily asked

"The last time I saw you, you hated Nascar and you hated Brian. And instead of facing your problems and working them out, you ran away from them and everyone who really loved you. You pushed everyone away, even your own brother and sister-in-law. You are the most beautiful person I know. If you were really over me, you should have been able to find someone new right away. If you were really over me, you would have been married by now" TK explained

Kari knew he was right. He had caught her. Kari looked away, she couldn't bare to even look at him. She was ashamed at herself and she could only blame herself for the way her life turned out, even if it was for the better. But her stubbornness wouldn't let her admit that. "I don't need this!" Kari angrily replied and stormed out of the restaurant, leaving TK to sit all by himself at the empty table. Once again, she was running away from her problems. Only proving TK's point even more.

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pandabear24- Please keep the reviews coming!


	14. Whatever It Takes

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear- It has been 40 days since I was last home and updated this story! I am very sorry to everyone who eagerly anticipated this chapter! Here it is!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon or Nascar. So please don't sue!

pandabear24- **Thank You** to everyone who reviewed!! Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Whatever It Takes'  
(don't own Lifehouse either)

Sora was beginning to see a pattern in Kari's behavior. Whenever she saw TK and they had an argument, Kari would lock herself in her hotel suite all day the following day. This time was no different. Sora was starting to get aggravated with Kari. Kari needed to grow up and face her problems instead of hiding away and hoping they went away. Like every time Kari locked herself in her hotel suite, Sora did what she could to coax her out. Sora hoped a day at the spa would do it, but Kari refused and she stayed in her room all day.

"Hey babe" Brian greeted his fiance on the phone, "Having fun?"

"No! Can't I just come home today?" Kari asked

"You've lasted this long, ya can make it one more day" Brian assured her

"I miss ya so much!" replied Kari

"And I love ya too" said Brian.

Kari glanced over at the clock on her nightstand and realized Brian had woken up during the middle of the night just to call and see how she was doing. She thought it was so sweet of him to do so. After last night, she really needed to hear his voice.

"Ya must be tired" Kari said and she could hear Brian yawn into the phone

"Uh huh" Brian replied

"Why don't ya go back to bed and call me when ya get up. I'll still be up" suggested Kari

"Are ya sure? If ya wanna talk, I'll stay up for ya" Brian asked

"Yeah, I'm sure. I love ya" said Kari

"I love ya too" replied Brian and he hung up to go back to sleep.

--

The next morning Kari woke up and started packing her bags, even though technically her plane didn't take off until 6:00 AM the next morning. When she finished packing a half hour later, she was bored. She couldn't imagine staying in her room and doing absolutely nothing for another day in a row. Kari sighed as she left her suite and walked down to Tai and Sora's room.

"Kari?" said Sora, surprised to see her at their door, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah" answered Kari, "I was wondering if ya wanted to do something."

"Really?" Sora asked. She was in shock that Kari actually wanted to do something without her suggesting they do something.

"Yeah"

"Well I was planning on going out with Mimi and Yolie tonight. I wasn't sure if ya wanted to go or not. I just kinda figured ya would want to stay in your room..." said Sora

"What time?" Kari asked interestedly

"Tonight at 7:00 in the hotel lounge." answered Sora, "But until then, do ya want to go down to the hotel spa?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea" Kari replied and walked down to the spa with Sora

Kari layed down on the cushioned table next to Sora. As the masseuse began to rub and massage her back, Kari felt her tension and stress melt away. She felt so relaxed, she began to forget her personal problems. She was glad she agreed to do this with Sora. She wished she had done this yesterday already. When their massages were over, they decided to go sit in the mud baths.

"Sora, I'm sorry for acting like such a bitch this week." Kari apologized

"I'm sorry for tricking ya into coming. I realize now this wasn't very easy for ya" Sora also apologized

"So now that I actually went to one of these all school reunions, ya won't make me come back it next year will ya?" asked Kari

"Ummm...probably" Sora answered and laughed

"Good luck with that!" Kari replied and laughed

"Hey, we better get going if we are going to met the girls later tonight." Sora said after she took the cucumbers off her eyes to see the time

The sister-in-laws quickly showered the mud of their freshly massaged bodies and walked back to their rooms to get ready. Kari met Sora, Mimi, and Yolie in the hotel lounge an hour later. She had straightened and then curled her hair. She wore a jean skirt and a white v-line t-shirt with a pink cami underneath.

"Hey Kari!" Mimi happily greeted

"Hey guys" said Kari shyly

Kari sat and listened to her friends talk about their families, their careers and everything in between. She felt so out of the loop. She regretted pushing her friends away. Sora, Mimi and Yolie talked like they had lived next door to each their entire lives even though they lived thousands of miles apart from each other. Kari wished she had that kind of relationship with them and the rest of the digidestin. When she got home, she was determined to keep in touch with them all, even TK if she felt like it.

"So Kari, what made you want to come back?" Mimi asked

"Sora tricked me" answered Kari

"So are you gonna come back next year?" asked Yolie,"You are always welcome to come stay at my house instead of staying at a hotel"

"I don't know" Kari answered

"Are ya glad ya came?" Sora wanted to know

"I guess so." Kari shyly answered

"You know Kari, I always thought you would be getting married to TK. Who would have thought you would getting married to a Nascar driver!" said Mimi

"Did you know TK was going to propose to you?" Yolie asked

"What?!" Kari exclaimed

"Yeah. That's why he worked three jobs in high school. He had bought the ring a few days before you guys left for that Thanksgiving trip to America." Yolie explained

"Yeah, I never did find out why you and TK broke up in the first place!" added Sora

"I'd rather not talk about it guys." Kari said starting to feel very uncomfortable and overwhelmed by all this new information.

"Yeah, why did ya and TK break up?" asked Mimi

"I just thought of a brilliant idea!" Kari exclaimed, trying to change the subject

"What happened between you and TK?" asked Yolie, ignoring Kari's last comment

"How about we go back to the high school. It would be so cool to see it again after all these years" suggested Kari

"Kari, will you stop changing the subject?" said Mimi very aggrievedly, "What happened on that trip?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Kari replied, she was starting to get angry with the girls

"Oh come Kari! It can't be that bad" said Sora

"Will ya guys knock it off! I said I don't want to talk about it!" Kari yelled at them, causing everyone in the bar to turn around and look at them

"Sorry" the three older girls quietly apologized

The four digidesten girls sat the table in total silence. After Kari's sudden outburst, they were afraid to say anything. Kari felt so embarrassed. Talking about TK always made her feel so uncomfortable. It made it hard for her to control her emotions.

"So.." Kari broke the silence, "How about we go back and visit Odiaba High School?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Yolie replied

"Why not?" Kari asked

"It's kinda late Kari" answered Sora

Kari dug her cell phone out of her purse and looked at the time. It was only 9:30, it wasn't _that_ late. She could go visit her old school and be back in her hotel room by midnight. "Oh come on guys, I've been dying to see it all week!"

"I don't really want to see it" Mimi quietly said

"Ugh..Fine, I'll go alone!" Kari said as she stood up from her chair

"No!" Sora immediately said and pulled her back down into her chair, "Ya can't go by yourself"

"Then come with me then! I don't see what the big problem is!" replied Kari

"I'm sorry Kari but a few years ago..." Yolie began to say.

"What she's trying to say is, we don't want to go!" interrupted Sora

"But I do!" Kari replied.

Kari angrily stood up, grabbed her purse, and left the hotel lounge. She walked out of the hotel and down to the nearest bus stop. Kari waited a few minutes before the first bus finally stopped.

"Is she actually going to go?" Yolie asked

"Probably." Sora answered, "Ugh...she is so stubborn! I swear she acts more like a child than an adult. She only wants what she can't have and she'll do whatever it takes to get it!"

Mimi reached down into her purse and grabbed her cell phone. She opened it up and started going through her contacts list. Sora and Yolie watched her as she put the phone up to her ear.

"Who are you calling?" asked Sora

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pandabear24- The next chapter is one of my favorite chapters in the whole series!! Keep the reviews coming!!


	15. Because of You

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

Ken- Ooooo, nice suspenseful cliff hanger last chapter!

pandabear24- Thanks Ken!

Ken- You are more than welcome!

pandabear24- How about a disclaimer?

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon or Nascar. If she did, we wouldn't have to worry about college tuition. So please don't sue!

pandabear24- Haha...nice disclaimer Ken!

Ken- Thank you

pandabear24- Muchas Grasias to EVERYONE who reviewed last chapter!! Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Because of You'  
(don't own Kelly Clarkson either)

Kari got on the first bus that stopped. She paid the bus fee and sat down in the last open seat. Kari looked around at the other people riding the bus with her. She could tell they were all shift work people. On Kari's right there was a middle aged woman in her nurse's uniform. On her left, was an older gentleman in a suit and tie sleeping against the window.

Kari twisted her body so she could look out the window. She enjoyed watching the familiar buildings pass her by. After a few minutes, she began to wonder if the bus driver knew where Odiaba High School was. She felt like she was in her old neighborhood again, but it certainly didn't look like it.

"Excuse me!" Kari piped up, "Are ya going the right way?"

"You still want to go to Odiaba High School right?" the bus driver asked to make sure

"Yes sir" Kari politely answered

"Yes ma'am" the bus driver politely answered back

Kari was starting to get confused. He couldn't possibly be going the right way. It was starting to look more like the ghetto than her old neighborhood. Now she was starting to realize why Sora, Mimi, and Yolie didn't want to come along. Did they know something she didn't? _'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all'_

The bus slowly came to a stop and the bus driver opened the door. Kari watched but no one got up to leave. She realized this was her stop. She hesitated to get up. Maybe she should just go back to the hotel, but her curiosity got the best of her. She was already here, she might as well go and visit her old high school. Kari finally got up and walked off the bus.

Kari stood under one of the few working street lights. The cool night air made her cold. She wished she had grabbed a jacket before she decided to drive across town to visit her old school. _'Why didn't I bring my limo?' _she asked herself. She would have felt much safer in her limo. It was something in the air, it made Kari scared to be out here all alone.

The neighborhood had change considerably since the last time she was here. It use to be a respectable part of Tokyo where well off families lived. It was a safe neighborhood where you could go out late at night and not have to worry about trouble. But now it looked like a dirty ghetto. There was graffiti on every wall. Many windows were broken and many were fixed with duct tape. There was trash scattered everywhere and the rats even out numbered the people who lived here.

Kari took a deep breath and started walking towards the school. As she walked, she could hear the prominent click clack her high heeled shoes made on the cracked concrete sidewalk. The farther she walked, the more she felt like someone was following her. Kari turned around to see who was behind but she couldn't see anyone. The closest working street light was half a block away. She quickly walked towards the street light. When she got to the light she quickly stopped to turn around but she couldn't see anyone behind her. Kari still had a gut feeling someone was following her. Kari took another step when she felt someone grabbed her from behind. She tried to scream but the stranger muffled her scream with his hand.

"Letgoofme!" Kari tried to say but his hand muffled her voice

"What is such a purddy lady doing out this late at night?" the stranger asked her.

Kari couldn't see the person but she knew he was taller than her. He had a hard time holding on to her because she was so short. He had a raspy voice and his hand smelled like alcohol. Kari tried to wiggle loose, but his grip was too strong for her.

"Letgoofme!" Kari tried to yell louder. She screamed and kicked as much as she could but the stranger only held her even tighter. "Someonepleasehelpme!"

Kari began to fear for her life. She had seen many Lifetime movies where situations like this happened. Kari began to panic even more. She screamed and kicked but it didn't seem to matter. There was no one there to save her.

"You look like one of those purddy super models on TV" the stranger said. Kari could smell the alcohol on his breath. "I always wanted to meet a super model"

"Letgoofme!" Kari yelled again but he didn't listen

"How about we go somewhere a little more private?" the creepy stranger asked as he started dragging her off the sidewalk and out of the light. Kari screamed and kicked some more but he wasn't affected by her kicks.

"LET GO OF MY WIFE!" an angry voice yelled out to the stranger.

The stranger stopped dead in his tracks. He quickly turned around to see who was there, giving Kari a major case of whiplash. When Kari opened her eyes, her vision was blurred but she could see a blond haired man standing under the street light.

"I said let go of my wife!" the blond haired man angrily said again

"He's your husband?" the stranger asked her. Kari nodded her head yes and held up her hand to show him her giant engagement ring. The stranger began to get scared and pushed Kari away from him. She fell to the ground as he turned around and began to quickly walk away.

"Are you alright Kari?"

"TK?" asked Kari. She couldn't believe after the way she had treated him this week that he would even come to her rescue. "Oh TK! I was so scared!"

"It's going to be ok" he assured her

TK lifted her up off the ground. She immediately wrapped her arms around his big, strong neck. She forgot how safe she use feel in his strong, muscular arms. It brought back a lot of memories. Kari randomly looked over his shoulder to see her left hand. She began to panic when she saw her engagement ring missing!

"He stole my ring!" Kari exclaimed

"What?!" TK asked as he looked down into her fearful eyes, then at her hands, and then he looked up at the man still suspiciously walking away.

"That creep stole my engagement ring!" Kari clarified

"Stay right here." TK ordered

TK handed her his gun and took off running after the stranger. When the stranger realized he was being chased, he began to run too. Kari stood all alone under the street light. She held the gun tightly in her hands, ready to pull the trigger if anyone else tried to grab her. Fifteen minutes passed and TK still hadn't returned. She began to worry about him and wondered if she should go looking for him. Kari waited a few more minutes and finally heard footsteps. She held the gun tighter but when she saw TK walking back towards her, she ran into his arms. TK hugged her back.

"I believe this is your's" TK said as he grabbed for Kari's left hand and slid the ring on her finger.

TK felt awkward as he did so. He couldn't help but remember that he planned to do that very thing ten years ago. Kari looked up into his eyes. TK could see the fear in her eyes, but he knew for the first time in years, it wasn't because of him. She began to cry and TK pressed her against his warm body.

"Ya saved my life! Oh TK, I was so scared" she cried into his chest

"You're alright now. I won't let anyone hurt you" TK assured her as he moved his hand up and down her back to comfort her

"I was just walking and that creep just snuck up on me and grabbed me!" Kari explained, "I was so scared!"

"Why are you here Kari? What are you doing in this part of town?" TK asked her in a serious tone of voice

"I wanted to see the old high school" answered Kari, trying her best not to cry

"At ten o' clock at night?" TK exclaimed, "You could have gotten hurt or even killed!"

"I know that now! I'm sorry!" Kari replied. "How'd ya know I was here?"

"Thats not important" TK avoided her question. "Let's get you back to the hotel"

"NO! I want to know!" Kari retorted

"Mimi called me after you left the hotel" answered TK

"How'd ya get here so fast?" Kari asked

"What do you mean?" TK replied

"Well...it must have taken ya forever to get here! Did ya take the bus, a car..."

"Kari, I live here!" TK interrupted her

"What?!" Kari asked surprised

"I live here." TK repeated again, "Don't you know anything about what happened here after you left?"

"No" Kari quietly answered

TK started walking towards the old school and Kari followed. She wasn't sure what he was doing but she was too scared to be out here alone. They walked side-by-side as TK planned what he was going to say.

"Not long after you moved away, digimon started transporting themselves into our world. The Japanese government didn't know how to handle them so whenever a digimon transported here, the Japanese military would attack them. The digimon would get scared and retaliate back. The digimon destroyed many parts of Tokyo including Odiaba. We did our best to transport them back to the Digi World but there were so many we couldn't save them all." TK explained

"Why did they start coming here?" asked Kari

"Because of you." answered TK

"_Me_?" Kari asked confused

"Well actually, we don't know why they really came here. But Izzy believes you leaving had a lot to do with it" TK answered

"Did they stop coming?" asked Kari

"Eventually." TK answered, "Everyone who use to live here got scared and moved away. Then all the homeless and welfare people started moving in. This neighborhood turned into a ghetto literally over night."

They continued walking towards the school. It made Kari sad to think that she was the reason why her old neighborhood looked why it did. They passed by her old apartment building. It had changed drastically since she last saw it.

"So what did ya do after high school." Kari asked

"I went to Toyko University on my basketball scholarship." asked TK

"Oh thats great!" Kari replied

"But I really struggled in my classes. I couldn't keep my grades high enough no matter how hard I tried. I was put on academic probation and a few weeks later I lost my scholarship. I ended up dropping out and enrolling in a small community college. I graduated two years later with a major in journalism. But because I have a two year degree, no one will hire me. They all tell me my writing skills are some of the best they have seen but they would rather hire someone with a four year degree instead of me. So now I work here at a little newspaper that is distributed to like thirty people." explained TK

"I'm so sorry to hear that TK." Kari sympathetically said

"I can barely afford to keep my apartment, let alone my electric and water bills and my student loans. I can barely afford to by new clothes and put gas in my car" TK replied

"Why don't you ask Matt for some finacial help?" asked Kari

"Matt and I don't really get along" TK answered

"Really?"

"Yeah," TK replied, "The first newspaper I worked for had me do a story about Matt's band. So I went to one of their concerts but that night, but the band showed up drunk and they really sucked. As much as I wanted to sugar coat it and write a good article about the band, I ended up writing a bad review for them. Matt got pissed at me and ended up suing the paper. Needless to say I was fired that day. Matt and I haven't really talked since"

"Wow, that sucks. What about your parents? They were both very successful news reporters" Kari asked

"They were killed in a car accident." TK quietly answered, "A scared and angry Gorillamon jumped off an apartment building after being attacked by the Japanese military and he landed on their car while they were on their way to work one morning."

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry TK" Kari felt so bad for him, "I had no idea"

"You didn't know about any of this?" TK asked her

"No" Kari quietly answered

"It made news all over the world. It was in every newspaper, magazine and all over the interent. How could you not know?" asked TK

"I don't know!" Kari replied.

She was beginning to feel frustrated. She remembered she had said that to TK about her engagement to Brian and she felt even worse. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. TK knew she was trying not to cry and he put his arm around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his torso and let the tears fall. A few minutes later, they stood in front of the old school high school. It was a sad sight to see. Like every other building, it was graffitied, vandalized and had become popular target for paintballers.

"If you want to get some drugs, I hear you can get a good deal in there." TK quietly said

Kari had seen enough. She turned around and started walking back to the bus stop. TK jogged to catch back up to her. He knew this was a big shock to her. Kari reached for his hand, she felt safer when he was holding her. TK pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arm around her again while Kari laid her head on the lower part of his shoulder. They walked in silence until they came to the bus stop.

They waited a few minutes until the bus finally came. Kari started getting on the bus, but looked back at TK. He could see the fear in her eyes, telling him to come with her. TK followed her on the bus. Kari payed for the both of them and sat down in the seat TK had saved for her. She laid her head on his chest as he put his arm around her shoulders. He couldn't help but look at her. She was still as beautiful now as she was ten years ago.

Not five minutes after they got on the bus, Kari fell asleep in his arms. When the bus stopped in front of the hotel, TK didn't have the heart to wake her up. He carried her off the bus and into the hotel. He walked past the desk clerk showing him his verson of a hotel key, Kari. The desk clerk just sat and stared as he watched him carry her into the elevator. Not even the dim hallway lights woke her up. When TK got to her door, he sadly realized he had to wake her up. He gently shook her until her eyes fluttered open and he put her down.

"I realized I never thanked you for saving my life" Kari quietly said as she looked into his deep blue eyes.

"You're welcome" TK replied as he looked back into her eyes

Kari searched her purse for the room key while never breaking eye contact. She finally broke away as she turned around to open her door. Kari quickly turned around again, keeping her door open with the heel of her foot. TK looked at the fear in her eyes. He was so relieved that the fear wasn't because of him. He was glad she wasn't running away from him anymore or yelling at him.

"I love you Kari" he blurted without thinking and immediately regretted it.

He expected her to get surprised. He expected her to slap him and slam her door in his face. He expected her to runaway from him and their problems. He expected her to start hating him again. He never expected this.

"I love you too TK"

Kari wrapped her arms around his neck and started kissing him passionately on the lips as she pulled him into her hotel suite.

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pandabear24- My favorite chapter in this story! Please, oh please review!


	16. Untitled

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

Ken- panda, last chapter had the best chapter you had ever written!

pandabear24- Thank ya Ken! I had fun writing it.

Ken- I hear **this chapter isn't very appropriate for children under eighteen**...

pandabear24- Ya heard right Ken. **This chapter has some strong sexual content in it and if the reader is under eighteen, they should skip this chapter and read the next one! **They won't miss anything.

Ken- Wow panda, I never thought you would write a chapter like this.

pandabear24- I never thought I would either. But lets get going, disclaimer please!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon or Nascar. Please don't sue!

pandabea24- Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews! Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Untitled'  
(don't own Simple Plan either)

Kari wrapped her arms around his neck and started kissing him passionately on the lips as she pulled him into her hotel suite and closed the door. They kissed as if they had never broken up. She couldn't control her emotions or her actions. Her hands started moving up and down his body as TK's did the same. When Kari felt his cold hands creeping under her pink cami, her hands had somehow found themselves under his shirt as well.

The more they kissed, the closer they got to the bed. Kari could feel her white v-neck t-shirt starting to come off. TK casually dropped it on the floor as he started working on her skin tight pink cami. When her cami hit the floor, Kari started working on his shirt. She casually threw it on the floor as the back of her legs hit the bed. Kari laid back on the bed as TK carefully laid on top of her.

TK's hands creeped down her back to the back of her pink lacey bra and unhooked it. They moved farther onto the bed and TK laid his half naked body on top of hers. His kisses moved from her soft lips down to her neck and her breasts. Kari moaned as he continued kissing her soft skin. She loved the warm and tingling sensation from her body. She ran her hands threw his thick blond hair and up and down his back. When she felt his hard member against her thigh, Kari had never been so sure of anything in her life until now.

"I want ya inside of me!" she whispered to him

TK stopped for a second to look her straight in the eyes to see if she was serious. In all the years they dated, she had never acted like this or let him go this far. He knew she was saving herself for marriage. Then he remembered she was getting married to Brian. She obviously didn't hate him if she was getting married to him, but he still did. He wanted nothing more than to make love to Kari before Brian would.

Kari sat up on the bed and started to unbutton his jeans. TK was starting to have second thoughts. He knew this wasn't right. He knew she valued her morals, her faith and her dignity. Yet he had sacrificed so many things in life, it was time for him to finally get something he wanted. He took his pants and boxers off. Kari was surprised, yet pleased to find out he was huge. She straddled him and her hands grabbed his hard member and slowly started massaging it. Her hands moved faster and faster the longer she massaged. TK started to moan at the pleasurable feeling.

When TK couldn't take it anymore, he flipped her over on the bed. He quickly started to unbutton her jean skirt. He threw her skirt and her lacey underwear on the floor. TK kissed her again, giving her time to stop him from what he wanted to do to her. He looked her in the eyes to make sure this was what she wanted.

"Please TK" Kari begged him

TK reached for the wallet in his pants pocket. He took out the condom he kept for emergencies and ripped it open. He quickly put it on and looked back into her ruby red eyes. She didn't have to beg him again, her eyes did that for her. TK was afraid of hurting her, he knew it was painful the first time. With his index finger, he moved in and out of her. Kari moaned in pleasure and TK increased to two fingers. When he thought she was ready, he slid his member into her with one quick thrust. Kari's body tightened and clenched up with pain. Tears rolled down the sides of her eyes and TK lovingly wiped them away. When he felt her body loosen up, he slowly moved in and out of her. When Kari started to become comfortable and enjoyed the pleasure, he thrusted faster and faster. Their bodies moved in perfect harmony with each other. Kari screamed his name in pleasure as TK did the same.

When they had reached their climax, their sweaty bodies laid next to each other on the bed. TK wrapped his arms around her slender body and Kari feel asleep. He loved sleeping next to her in the bed. He wished he could do this every day of his life. Then he remembered her morals and the fact she was saving herself for marriage. Part of him regretted for not stopping things before it went too far but yet he was glad he didn't. A few minutes after Kari fell asleep, TK fell asleep too.

In the corner of her hotel room next to her fully packed suitcases, Kari's cell phone silently rang. The lights dimly flashed as the caller ID read, "Brian"

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pandabear24- Oh Kari, what have ya done? Please keep the reviews coming!


	17. Everything

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- Welcome to chapter 17!! This chapter picks up where chapter 15 left off!

Ken- You dirty author you!

pandabear24- I know, I know.... oh well.

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon or Nascar. Please don't sue!

pandabear24- Thank you to everyone who reviewed these last two chapters!! You guys rock! Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
****'**Everything'  
(don't own Michael Buble either)

Kari's eyes fluttered open to see the sun starting to creep into her hotel suite. She stretched as she rolled over to see what time it was. Kari was shocked to see a naked TK Takashi in her bed. A flood of memories started filling her brain as she remembered the lustful night they shared only a few hours earlier. Kari suddenly remembered her plane left early this morning. She lifted her body over TK's to see the clock on her nightstand. It was a few minutes after five in the morning and her plane left at 6:30! Kari knew you had to arrive at the airport a few hours before your plane left for international flights. She hoped it wouldn't be a big deal if she showed up a few minutes before her flight took off.

Kari slowly and quietly got out of bed as quickly as possible. She gathered her articles of clothing scattered throughout the room and put them back on. Kari was glad she decided to pack her suitcases yesterday. As soon as she was fully dressed, she grabbed her bags and left. _'Why didn't Tai and Sora wake me up?' _Kari thought to herself. She decided to check their room in case they accidentally slept in too. When they didn't open their door, she figured they had already left. _'Why wouldn't they wake me up?'_ Kari thought to herself.

She hailed the first cab she saw and begged the cab driver to speed to the airport. When she got in, she buried her face in her hands. She couldn't believe she betrayed Brian, her fiancee, like that. How was she going to tell him? What would TK think when he woke up? What was she going to do? She regretted her lustful actions yet at the same time she didn't. When she got to the airport, she ran through security and luckily made it in time to board the plane. She saw Tai and Sora already on the plane.

"Why didn't ya guys wake me up?" Kari whispered to them. She sat down in the seat across from them

"I called ya several times but ya never answered. I even pounded on your door and ya never answered. So I just assumed ya had left already." explained Sora

"Ya did?" Kari asked

"Yeah" answered Sora. Sora looked at Kari for several seconds and then rolled her eyes

"What?" asked Kari

"Nothing" Sora replied

When the plane landed in California, Kari hopped in the limo Brian had waiting for her and drove to the track. She couldn't wait to see Brian again yet at the same time, she was scared to see him again. She got to the track in time to see him practicing for Sunday's race. As much as she wanted to run into his arms, she was afraid to. Kari didn't know if she should tell Brian or not. How would he react? Would he forgive her? Would he call off the wedding?

Kari decided to go back to the motorcoach and wait for Brian there. She watched the final practice on SPEED Channel and was happy to see he had one of the fastest cars on the track. When practice ended, her heart pounded. She knew it would only be a matter of minutes before he walked into their motorcoach. Kari didn't have to wait long. Shortly after practice ended, Brain casually walked into the motorcoach. When he saw her, Brian ran to Kari and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"I missed ya so much!" Brian said between kisses

"I missed ya too!" Kari said even though it wasn't entirely true. She felt even guiltier about what she did to him. She wanted to tell him but for the sake of their relationship, but she didn't.

"So tell me about Japan. How was it? Did ya have a good time?" Brian asked her as he led her over to the couch

"Yeah...It was nice to see everyone again" Kari carefully replied

"That's good." Brian replied, "I need my good luck charm this weekend. Last weekend was brutal out there without ya"

Kari smiled and looked away. Brian could see there was something wrong. He knew very well that Kari loved to talk but now she was quiet and distant. Brian became worried about her.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Brian

"I did something bad" Kari blurted and immediately regretted it

"What did ya do?" Brian asked worriedly

"I spent over five thousand dollars on clothes" Kari lied and cried into his dirty driversuit. She actually did spend five thousand dollars but it wasn't the confession she really wanted to confess.

"Thats alright Kari" Brian comforted her, "Did ya seriously think I would be mad?"

"Kinda" Kari lied again. She knew he wouldn't care how much money she spent.

"Well its alright Kari." Brian replied and gave her a kiss. "Anyway, Tai and Sora want us to have dinner with them tonight and a few of the drivers. Is that alright with ya?"

"Yeah, sure" answered Kari even though she secretly dreaded going

---

"Hey Brian, hey Kari! I'm so glad ya guys made it!" Sora greeted the couple when they walked over to the table

Tai and Sora were surrounded by Brian and Kari's closest drivers friends. Jeff, Ingrid, Jimmie, Chandra, Jamie, Reed and Kyle had all come to have dinner with them. Brian and Kari sat down next to Jeff and Ingrid.

"So Kari...I had this brilliant idea and I wanted to share it with ya and Brian!" said Sora

"Define brilliant." Kari replied and Brian gently elbowed her in the ribs

"Anyway, I was thinking bout your guys' wedding and I thought of this brilliant idea! Ya guys should get married in Japan!" Sora said

"What!?" Kari exclaimed, "Why?"

"Well Kari, ya grew up there. It would a great way for Brian and all your friends here to see where ya grew up. And it would be very conveniate for all your childhood friends to attend." explained Sora

"Sora! I'm getting married in six months! I already have almost everything planned for a wedding here in America! I would have to start all over if I moved to the wedding to Japan. I don't think its a very good idea." said Kari

"I don't know Kari. I think it would be pretty cool. I've never been to Japan before." replied Brian

"What?" Kari exclaimed

"Yeah, I think it would be kinda cool to go and get married there" said Brian

"But we have worked so hard to plan everything here! We would have to start all over! Do ya know how expensive that would be?" asked Kari

"Yeah, you know Kari...We've been kinda struggling as your guys' close friends as to what to get ya guys for a wedding present. And we would like nothing more than to pay for your guys' wedding!" said Jeff

"What?" Kari exclaimed

"It would be our present to ya guys!" said Jimmie

"Thanks guys!" said Brian

"But..but..but" Kari stuttered

"Then its settled. Ya guys will get married in Japan" said Sora

"But...but..but" Kari continued to strudder

"Oooo I can't wait!" Ingrid said excitedly, "I absolutely love Japan!"

"Me too! It's going to be so much fun!" Chandra happily exclaimed

"Don't worry Kari. I'll take care of everything! Ya won't have to worry about a thing!" Sora promised her

"But I don't wanna get married in Japan" Kari said to herself but nobody heard

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pandabear24- Poor Kari...Please review!


	18. More Than a Memory

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- Thank ya to everyone who reviewed! Ya guys rock my socks off!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon or Nascar. Please don't sue!

pandabear24- On with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
'**More Than a Memory'  
(don't own Garth Brooks either)

As the months passed by, Kari helplessly watched as Sora planned her wedding for her. Nothing Kari said or did could convince Sora to keep the wedding in America. She begged and pleaded Brian to get married in America but he was too excited to get married anywhere else. Kari had to slowly accept the fact she was getting married in her hometown.

Kari hated the fact she was almost done planning her wedding and now it was all for nothing. Sora was very good about letting Kari pick and choose everything but Kari was still very upset about getting married in Japan. It was her fear that was holding her back. She was afraid to see TK again. What would she say to him? What would he say to her? Would he even come to her wedding?

As far as Kari knew, all the digidestin were coming to the wedding. Kari was proud of herself for keeping in touch with them all after the reunion. But there was one person she couldn't get herself to e-mail or call. She would write TK a long e-mail only to end up deleting it. She would dial his number only hang up before he answered. Kari occasionally received e-mails from TK but she couldn't get herself to open them and read them. When ever TK would call, she would watch her phone ring but never answer it.

Each week that passed, the more stressed Kari got. She did her best to juggle her career and Brian's. Kari knew if she was going to get married to Brian and go to all the races with him, she would have to give up her job. Each week that passed added more stress as she watched Brian compete in the Chase for the Cup. Each week that passed she knew she was another week closer before she would have to see TK again.

Kari thought about TK often, he was more than a memory. She often caught herself daydreaming about him and what could have been. Kari blamed herself for the destruction for her old neighborhood, the death of TK's parents and she even blamed herself for the way TK's life turned out. She had always thought TK would be a famous basketball player, who knew his life would have turned out so crappy? She knew if they had never broken up, Kari would have gone to college with him and she would have never let him go on academic probation, lose his scholarship, and drop out.

Kari thought after the Nascar season ended, things would slow down but she was wrong. Sora called her several times day, asking her hundreds of questions about the wedding. Brian was always dragging her to places with him, Rick Hendrick's house for Thanksgiving, to Florida for the Nationwide banquet, to New York City for the Sprint Cup banquet. Kari was having a hard time trying to find the time to finalize things and ship things to Japan for the wedding.

"I can't believe ya agreed with Sora about getting married in Japan! We could have gone to Japan anytime!" Kari started having another fit. Kari said this atleast once everyday since Sora suggested it. As soon as the Sprint Cup banquet ended, Brian and Kari rushed back home to their home on Lake Norman to pack and get ready to hop a flight to Japan. Kari stubbornly and lazily took her suitcase and dumped everything in it on the floor as she started packing new clothes in it. "Like we could have gotten married here in Charlotte and had the honeymoon in Japan!"

"Kari, everything will be fine!" Brian tried to calm her down

'Ya know, this is my wedding too!" Kari continued her little fit."I should have a say in where we get married! If I didn't know any better, I would swear ya and Sora were getting married!"

Brian rolled his eyes as he picked up her dirty clothes and threw them down the laundry shute. He finished packing his bags and carried them down to the car. When he came back, he found Kari stubbornly sitting on the bed. Brian sighed has he grabbed her bags and carried them down to the car for her as well.

"Ok Kari, stop acting like a little kid and lets go" Brian said when he came back.

"I don't want to get married in Japan!" Kari retorted

"Ugh...if I had know ya would have been this much of a pain about this whole thing, I wouldn't have agreed to get married in Japan!" Brian admitted frustratedly

"I tried to tell ya and everyone else I didn't want to get married in Japan and ya'll ignored me!" said Kari

"I'm so sorry Kari. At the time it sounded like a good idea." Brian apologized, "But if we don't get going, we're going to miss our flight and then we're going to have a whole bunch of angry guests"

Kari reluctantly got up and followed Brian to the car. He held her hand as they boarded the flight. Kari was beginning to feel guilty again. All the memories she had repressed were starting to come back again. Brian could feel her body tightening up as the plane started to take off. He knew she wasn't afraid to fly and was starting to become worried about her.

"Are ya alright?"

"Yeah...I'm fine" Kari lied

"Are ya sure?" Brian asked concerned

"Yes, I'm sure!" Kari angrily snapped back. Brian knew there was something wrong but accepted the fact she wasn't going to tell him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at ya like that. I'm just really stressed."

"It's alright babe." Brian replied and kissed her. "I know things have been stressful for ya lately"

Kari smiled and layed her head on his chest. Immediately she felt some what relaxed. Kari felt so relaxed she feel asleep in Brian's arms. When she woke up, the plane was halfway across the Pacific Ocean. She didn't even remember switching planes. Kari looked up at her fiance to find him sleeping against the window. She smiled to think this was the man she was going to marry. But her smile turned to a frown. Was she doing the right thing? Was this man she was going to share the rest of her life? For better or for worse? The wedding was a week away and Kari was starting to have some major second thoughts. She quickly grabbed her cell phone and texted Sora.

_Did you have second thoughts before you got married?  
__Kari_

Kari didn't have to wait long. Sora quickly replied back.

_Yeah...almost everyone has them. It is normal.  
__Sora K._

Kari felt relieved but she still felt uncomfortable grasping the fact she was getting married. She loved Brian, she always had. Kari knew when she first met him, there was something special about him. They had a special connection she didn't share with anyone else. Kari felt bad for breaking up Brian and his girlfriend twelve years ago, even though she didn't try to. Yet at the same time, she felt special she meant so much to Brian that he would break up with his long time girlfriend to be with her. Kari texted Chandra and Ingrid the same question and they both said the same thing as Sora. She felt even more relieved but the closer she got to Japan the more nervous she got. She was afraid to see TK again. How would she act around him? What would she say to him? Would he be upset or angry with her?

"Ugh....things were so much easier when I was single!"

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pandabear24- This is probably the most boring chapter of the whole story. Sorry about that but the next few chapters will make up for it! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!


	19. Only You

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- I am so terribly sorry for the long wait! I promise to make it up to everyone by uploading another chapter before I go back to college! Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon or Nascar. Please don't sue!

pandabear24- On with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
****'**Only You'  
(don't own Josh Kelley either)

"Are ya coming?" Brian asked his fiance before he left their hotel and resort suite. Kari shook her head as she layed on their bed. Brian sighed in disappointment and turned around to leave. "I'll be back in a few hours."

Brian closed the door and sighed again. He and Kari checked into their room a few hours ago and he was already starting to get the feeling this was going to be a long week. They were getting married in five short days. He grabbed his skiis that layed on the floor outside his hotel suite and started walking down to the lobby to meet the others. Tai, Sora, Jeff, Jimmie and Jamie were all waiting for Brian to meet up with them. Sora rolled her eyes as she saw Brian coming alone.

"Was she like this during your guys' reunion?" Brian asked Sora

"Much worse" Sora replied as the group left to go hit the slopes.

As part of Brian and Kari's wedding present, Jeff, Jimmie, Jamie and some of the other drivers were paying for all the wedding guests to stay at a fancy hotel and ski resort up in the mountains. Just a mile or two down the road was the church where Brian and Kari were going to get married. It was a beautiful December day to go skiing and Brian couldn't believe Kari would rather stay in their hotel room instead. Not even Chandra and Ingrid could get Kari to come out of their room.

"Do ya think Kari's doing this to rebel against getting married here?" Brian asked Tai and Sora at the top of the slope.

"No" answered Tai

"Then why would she want to stay in the room all day?" Brian asked

"I think its her fear of seeing an old friend" Sora carefully answered. She didn't want Brian to know it was TK she was referring to and she didn't want him to worry.

Brian decided to quit skiing early so he could talk to Kari. As he walked up to his room, he saw a familiar creature waiting outside their door. A smile crept across his face. He knew this would cheer Kari up.

"Hey Gatomon! Long time no see. How are ya?" Brian greeted the feline digimon

"Hey Brian! I'm amazing! I was just waitin for ya to return so I could surprise Kari." Gatomon explained

Gatomon jumped into Brian's arms as Brian opened the door. Brian found Kari laying in the same fetal position as when he left the room. He was starting to worry about her. Something just wasn't right.

"Hey babe." Brian greeted her, "Are ya alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" Kari replied as she turned onto her other side to see Brian and her beloved digimon. "Gatomon!"

Kari sat up in the bed as Gatomon jumped down from Brian's arms to her partner. The duo hadn't seen each other since the reunion a few months ago. They hugged until Kari pulled away.

"Gatomon, can I ask ya something?" Kari asked and Gatomon nodded her head. "I would have asked ya sooner but I haven't seen ya since the reunion. Would Angewomon do me the great honor of being my maid of honor?"

"Are ya serious? ME?!?" asked Gatomon in shock. Kari nodded her head. "Oh my gosh Kari! Yes, I'll be your maid of honor!"

"Ahhh thank ya Gato!" Kari happily replied back and gave her digimon partner another hug. "That means we have to get ya fitted for a dress. Let's go"

Kari got out of bed for the first time since she got to Japan and put her coat and laced up her Ugg boots. Gatomon followed Kari out the hotel and into the rental car. Kari drove to the dress shop where Sora had all the bridesmaid dresses waiting. The store happened to be owned by Mimi. It was the first designer store she opened before her clothes became popular and famous. Since then, she has opened stores all over the world. Before they entered the store, Gatomon digivolved into Angewomon. When the two entered the store, they were surprisingly welcomed by Mimi herself.

"Kari! Angewemon!" she exclaimed

"Mimi! Oh my gosh, I didn't know you were Japan already" Kari exclaimed

"Yeah, since I was already coming to the wedding, I decided to fly back early to check on my store here. It was the first store I opened so it's pretty much my baby. Silly, I know, but I like to know if things here are up to my standards and whatnot. So what can I do for ya today?" Mimi asked in her most professional voice

"Angewoman's going to be my maid of honor. I was wondering if I can get her fitted for one of my bridesmaid dresses." explained Kari

"Of course. Follow me."

Kari and Angewomon followed Mimi to the back of the store where all of Kari's bridesmaid dresses were hanging neatly on a rack. Mimi took the extra deep red sweetheart dress down from the end and gave it Angewomon to try on. A few minutes later, Angewomon came out in the dress. Mimi and Kari marveled at how gorgeous Angewomon looked in the dress.

"Ya can take your wings off?" Kari asked her digimon and she nodded her head. Angewomon no longer looked like a digimon. Without her protective metal helmet, her wings and her angel outfit, she looked like an everyday human. She could walk down the street and no one would suspect she was a digimon. "Ya look beautiful Angewomon"

"Thank you Kari"

"That dress fits you perfect Angewomon!" Mimi gushed, "I absolutely love this dress Kari. I'm so glad you decided to let me design your bridesmaid dresses."

"I love them too" Kari replied, "Ya did an amazing job"

"So are you getting excited?" Mimi asked as she checked the dress for appropriate length and other adjustments.

"If excited means nervous then yeah...I'm very excited" said Kari

"Oh Kari, its normal to be nervous. I got really nervous too before I got married to Izzy. You'll be fine" Mimi assured her

"I hope so" replied Kari

"Kari...are ya having second thoughts?" Mimi carefully asked

"Maybe" Kari confessed

"Are they about TK?" asked Mimi

"I don't know. I didn't have them until I stepped foot on the plane here" Kari answered

"Well...Do you have feelings for TK?" Mimi curiously asked

"I don't know. I don't know how I feel anymore. I love Brian, I really do. But I can't help but think I'm making a mistake." explained Kari.

"Have you seen TK since you've been here?" asked Mimi and Kari shook her head no

_'Why does she keep asking about TK?'_ Kari thought to herself "I don't know what to do Mimi. What do ya think I should do?"

"Listen to your heart Kari." Mimi answered, "Only you know who you truly love. Nobody else can tell you what to do or who to love except you."

"That wasn't exactly the answer I was looking for" replied Kari

"Well this isn't exactly the wedding I thought I'd be designing your bridesmaid dresses for" replied Mimi

Kari looked Mimi in the eyes, shocked to hear Mimi say that. "Well, Brian's waiting for me back at the hotel." Kari lied when Gatomon stepped out of the dressing room. "Hopefully I'll see ya again before the wedding this Saturday"

"Everything happens for a reason Kari!" Mimi shouted as Kari walked out the door

---

Kari sat by herself in front of the fireplace in the hotel lobby. She held the cup of hot chocolate tightly, trying to warm up her body. Even though she was sitting in front of the fireplace, she was still cold. She stared into the fire, thinking about the wedding, Brian and TK. No matter how hard Kari tried, she couldn't stop thinking about TK.

"Hey little sis" Tai greeted her, interrupting her thoughts. "Whatcha doing all alone down here?"

"Just thinking" she answered

"About the wedding?" Tai asked and Kari nodded her head yes. "Me too"

"Tai, can I ask ya something?" Kari timidly asked

"Yeah, sure." Tai replied

"Did ya ever have second thoughts about marrying Sora?" she asked

"Ya mean like 'Am I doing the right thing?' kind of thoughts?" Tai asked and Kari nodded her head yes. "Yeah, I did. It's really scary getting married cause its one of those things that can change your life forever ya know. But I knew Sora was the one for me. There has always been something about her that always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I've never had those feelings for another girl." explained Tai

Kari started to think about Tai's words. She stared back into the fire. Tai could see she was thinking about something or _someone_.

"You wouldn't be having seconds thoughts about TK would ya?" Tai carefully asked

"Just because I'm having seconds thoughts, why does everyone assume they're about TK?" Kari angrily asked

"Kari, stop kidding yourself." Tai replied, "Did ya invite him to the wedding?"

"No" answered Kari

"Kari, ya can't invite all the digidestin except TK! Did ya invite him to the rehearsal dinner atleast?" Tai asked

"No" Kari answered again

"Don't ya think he'd like to come to the wedding?" asked Tai

"If Matt and Sora were getting married, would ya wanna go to their wedding?" Kari asked. When Tai didn't answered she got up. "I didn't think so" and walked back to her room.

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pandabear24- Please keep the reviews coming!!!


	20. Realize

**Summary:** It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- Thank you to everyone who reviewed!! You guys rock my socks off!

Ken- But I thought I rocked your socks off?

pandabear24- You do...they just rock more!

Ken- Psht...whatever!

pandabear24- How bout a disclaimer...that would cheer ya up!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT** own Digimon or Nascar! Please don't sue!

pandabear24- Now on with the story!

Hard to Love You  
'Realize'  
(don't own Colbie Caillet either)

"Wake up Kari!" Brian greeted his fiancée the next morning. Kari fluttered her eyes open, trying to adjust them to the bright sunlight that eased into their hotel room. She rolled over to her other side to see Brian's smiling face. Seeing him smile made her smile. Brian leaned in close to her to give her a kiss.

"Good morning to ya too!" said Kari very happily, "Ya look way too excited this morning"

"I am excited!" Brian replied

"For what?" Kari asked

"To go sightseeing!" answered Brian

"Sightseeing....where?" Kari carefully asked

"Ya know to see the sights and maybe your childhood neighborhood" Brian answered

"What?!" Kari exclaimed, "I don't think that's a good idea"

"Why not?" asked Brian

"It's just not a good idea" Kari vaguely answered

"Is this because you're afraid to see someone?" Brian carefully asked

"What?" Kari asked. She was very confused

"Well yesterday I got worried about ya. I can't think of anybody who would rather stay in their hotel room all day instead of doing something fun like going skiing with their fiancé. So I asked Tai and Sora and they said its because you're afraid to see someone" Brian explained

Kari was so surprised to hear what he just said. She couldn't think of anything to say to defend herself. Kari casually shrugged her shoulders and rolled back on her other side so Brian couldn't see her facial expressions.

"So who is it?" Brian asked

Kari rolled back onto her other side to face Brian again. She looked into his piercing blue eyes but they only reminded her of TK. Kari shook her head to erase the image from her mind. She was getting married in four days, why was she thinking about TK?

"Just an old friend. We didn't exactly end high school on the best of terms." She vaguely answered, "I'd rather not talk about it"

"I'm sorry to hear that babe." Brian said and kissed her on the forehead. "But get up! I want to see where ya grew up"

Kari groaned as she rolled out of bed. She slowly got dressed, dreading to see her old neighborhood again. Brian was well aware of her digimon filled past, but Kari didn't want him to know it was pretty much her fault her childhood neighborhood was destroyed. She was too embarrassed to show him where she grew up. After she finished getting dressed, Kari went down to the lobby to get breakfast. The more time she wasted, the less time she would have to play tour guide.

Brian and Kari finally walked out of the hotel and resort about a half hour later. They jumped in the new rental car which Brian kindly let Kari drive. Kari drove down the mountain and into Tokyo. She drove through suburb after suburb until she parked the car outside of an old high school.

"So this where I lived" Kari said with a fake yet convincing smile on her face. Brian looked around slightly confused. "What's wrong?"

"I thought ya grew up in Odaiba. Why does that school say Ibebukuro High School?" Brian asked after seeing a rare sign written in English

"What? Ibebukuro is Odaiba. It's one of those weird Japanese things. Every suburb has two names!" Kari lied and giggled

Brian wasn't very convinced. He was positive she grew up in Odiaba. He had heard enough stories from Tai that he knew she grew up in Odiaba. Kari knew Brian was very smart. He had a 4.43 GPA in high school. She hoped and prayed he believed her.

"This is not Odiaba" Brian said. Her hopes were dashed. "Kari...why are we sitting here in Ibebukuro?"

Kari only looked away and shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't bare to look at him. One look into his deep blue eyes and she would be spilling her guts to him. Only one other person could make her do that..TK. She mentally slapped herself. Why was she thinking about TK again?

"Are ya embarrassed of where ya grew up?" asked Brian, "Ya know its ok if you're embarrassed. I will love ya anyway whether ya grew up in a nice neighborhood or a bad one."

"It's a little more complicated than that" Kari replied

"Why?" Brian asked

Kari didn't answer. She started the car up and started driving away from the old high school. Kari drove across Tokyo until she reached the ghetto that was Odiaba. Brian was surprised to say the least.

"Wow...I know Tai can over exaggerate sometimes in his stories but Tai made Odiaba sound like a really nice neighborhood" said Brian as he stared at the run down neighborhood.

"It was" Kari said very quietly

"Oh yeah?"

"Odiaba use to be one of the nicest suburbs in Tokyo and then I moved away" Kari explained

"Oh whatever Kari" Brian laughed thinking she was trying to be funny, "I'm sure ya moving away had nothing to do with this"

"I'm serious Brian" Kari said and Brian's smile quickly disappeared. "Odiaba was a very respectable community and after I moved away digimon started randomly appear here in the real world. The digidestin tried their best to save as many as they could but there were so many of them and the Japanese government didn't know how to properly handle them, so they would attack the digimon. The digimon would get confused and scared so they would attack back. That's why so many buildings look like someone took a wrecking ball to them. It's pretty much my fault that so many innocent people died. "

"Oh Kari, it's not your fault" Brian tried his best to comfort her

"Thanks but it _is_ my fault. I don't even know why they started showing up in the first place and they only started showing up after I moved away. They probably wouldn't have shown up if I stayed here" said Kari

"But if ya wouldn't have moved to Charlotte, we wouldn't be getting married. Everything happens for a reason." Brian replied and kissed her

It was the second time in two days she had heard that phrase. 'Everything happens for a reason'. Was this some sort of sign? Kari wasn't sure. This whole thing was starting to give her a headache.

"So ya understand why I didn't want to come back here?" Kari asked

"Yeah, I'm sorry I pushed ya to come here" Brian apologized

"So can we go now?" asked Kari and Brian nodded his head yes.

Kari started the car again and drove back to the hotel and resort. She wanted to get out of her childhood neighborhood as soon as possible. She was afraid to see him again. Although Kari knew Brian still wanted to go sightseeing but she just didn't feel like playing tour guide anymore. She was too depressed by her past to drive around Toyko. When the couple got back to the hotel, Kari cuddled up in the warm comfy bed and quietly cried herself to sleep. At 3:30 in the afternoon.

---

"Where are we going again?" Kari asked Sora the next night. Kari was starting to get use to being dragged around places with Sora.

"Brian is waiting for you at the hotel restaurant" answered Sora

"At 9:00 at night?" asked Kari, "Does this hotel even have a restaurant?"

"Ya ask too many questions!" Sora complained. Sora led the way as Kari followed closely behind. "Let's take a short cut through this room"

"Sora, I don't think we can go..."

"SURPRISE!"

Kari was shocked. As soon as she walked into one of the hotel and resort's many conference rooms, she was greeted by some of her closest girlfriends. 'Congratulations Kari' posters and banners hung on the walls. There were several neatly decorated tables scattered throughout the room. There were long tables set with food and several wrapped gifts.

"Ya didn't think ya would get married without having a bachelorette party did ya?" Sora asked her

"Well I wasn't expecting one after I told ya I didn't want one" Kari whispered back keeping the fake smile on her face for the benefit for all her friends that showed up.

Sora rolled her eyes as she led Kari to the head table. The hotel staff served the guests a piece of cake and strawberry wine as Sora hosted the party. Sora kicked the party off with a few bachelorette party games. After the three bottles of wine were gone, Sora handed Kari her first present. Kari had been to enough bachelorette parties to know what to expect she was getting. Kari pretended to act surprised and having a good time, but she wasn't. Something just wasn't right.

"What's wrong?" Yolie asked when Kari opened the last present.

"Did ya have second thoughts before ya got married?" Kari asked. It was a question meant to be heard just between Yolie and Kari but everyone heard it. Kari sighed. "Did ya'll have second thoughts before ya guys got married?"

The guests looked at each other, waiting for someone else to answer first. Time seemed to stand still. Each second that passed by, Kari felt guilty and felt like a bad person. A few seconds later, someone finally answered.

"Nobody likes to admit to it, but everybody has second thoughts before they get married." Chandra answered. "But when ya think about it long enough, you realize you're doing the right thing. If you're having second thoughts Kari, it's ok. Besides, ya and Brian are such a cute couple. I can't see ya getting married to anyone else."

Hearing Chandra's encouraging words made Kari realize who she loved. While the guests mingled amongst themselves, Kari snuck away from her own party and back to her hotel room. When she got to her room, she quickly opened the door and ran to the bed where Brian was sleeping. She snuggled up to him and gave him a kissed on the lips.

"Ummmm...What was that for?" Brian asked as he kissed her again

"I'm excited to get married to ya in three days, fourteen hours and thirty-six minutes." Kari happily answered  
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pandabear24- Please Review!


	21. Stay

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- Thanks again to everyone who reviewed last chapter!

Ken- pandabear **DOES NOT**own Digimon or Nascar! Please don't sue!

pandabear24- Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**"Stay"  
(don't own Sugerland either)

In honor of Kari's wedding, Yolie wanted to host a special party for just the digidestin. While Kari had her bachelorette party the night before, Brian was having his bachelor party tonight. Which meant, Kari had to go to Yolie's party _alone_. She had a strong feeling TK was going to be there. Was it a good thing she was going alone? She didn't know. All she knew was that she didn't want to go. But of course, as usual Sora was forcing her to go. After all, the party was in her honor.

As Sora and Kari drove up to Yolie's house, it was deja vu all over again from six months ago. Kari hoped this party would go smoother and would end better than the last party Kari attended at Yolie's house. She still hadn't seen TK since that night in Japan. The two sister-in-laws walked up to the house and Sora rang the door bell. Kari could her footsteps running towards the door. A few seconds later, a little purple haired boy and an even littler black haired girl answered the door.

"I thought I told you two to go to bed!" Yolie said as she walked towards the door. Immediately the two kids scampered away up the stairs. "Sorry about that. Please come in! Everyone is waiting in the living room"

_Everyone_. Kari's heart started to beat faster. Her body clenched and tightened up. She slowly followed Yolie and Sora into the living room and was relieved to see everyone but TK there. Her heart rate slowed down and her body loosened up.

"Sit down!" Yolie insisted as she kicked Ken out of the recliner so Kari could sit. "Can I get you a drink?"

"No thank ya. Ya have already done enough!" Kari politely declined

"So Kari, are you excited?" Joe asked when the room settled down

"Yeah, I am" Kari truthfully answered. She wished she could get married then and now, just to get it over with.

"You know its kinda funny. I always thought you would be getting married to TK" said Matt

"I guess not" Kari casually shrugged her shoulders. The truth was, she always thought so too.

Kari watched as her friends mingled amongst themselves. Since the reunion, she did what she could to stay in contact with them all but she still felt out of place here. After about a half hour Izzy walked up to her.

"Hey Kari" he greeted her

"Hey Izzy." she greeted back

"How was New York?" Izzy asked

"It was really good." answered Kari, "Hey, listen, I'm really sorry we couldn't meet up"

"Oh that's alright. I was really busy anyway." replied Izzy.

A few seconds later, the doorbell rang. Yolie got up from her spot next to Ken to go answer the door. Kari started to clench up and get really nervous again. She wanted to run away from here. She wasn't ready to see TK again.

"So um...can I talk to you privately?" Izzy quietly asked her.

_'Anything to get out of here'_ Kari thought to herself, "Yeah, sure!"

Izzy lead her down the hallway and into Ken and Yolie's bedroom. Mimi curiously watched her husband, trying not to think the worst. Izzy couldn't have asked at a better time. As Izzy and Kari walked down the hallway, Yolie had just opened the door. When Izzy closed the door, Kari suddenly regretted the idea. She could only imagine how bad this looked to the other digidestin. Kari stood next to the bed as Izzy walked up to her. Kari was starting to jump conclusions.

"Izzy, I'm getting married in two days, I don't think this is a good idea" said Kari as she started walking towards the door. Izzy reached out and grabbed her arm.

"It's not like that, I promise. I just want to talk to you" Izzy tried to assure her. Kari still had her doubts. "I'm not trying to break you and Brian up but I just had to tell you. You see... a few months after the reunion I was doing some computer work for the Digital World when I came across what I think is an ancient prophecy. It wasn't like other prophecies I found. The hieroglyphics on this one were different than the other prophecies and I couldn't decipher it. But there were two words that were similar between this one and other prophecies, Light and Hope. I don't know what the prophecy said cause I couldn't decipher it but I think it has something to do with you and TK."

Kari couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was the last thing she wanted to hear. She knew everyone in this house expected her to marry TK and would rather see her marry him than Brian.

"I don't need this...especially two days before my wedding!" Kari angrily said as she stormed out of the room. She ran out of the house and into the rental car. Sora would have to find another ride back to the hotel because Kari was long gone.

"Geez TK, thats a new record. Ya haven't even been her a minute and she's already running away from ya." Sora said as she watched Kari run out the door.

"I didn't do anything" TK sadly replied

---

"Thank ya everyone for coming to our rehearsal dinner." Brian said to the hundred or so guests standing around him and Kari. "We hope ya'll enjoy the free food!"

Brian and Kari made the rounds as they made the effort to talk to all their guests. Brian was dressed very formally in his suit and tie. Kari wore a tight little black Giorgio Armani dress. Together, they were dressed to kill. Kari looked around at their guests. Most of them were their Nascar friends from America. The digidestin stood and talked amongst themselves in one of the corners of the room. She felt bad for them, they must have felt so out of place. Kari was starting to get bored following Brian around. At the moment, he was talking to one of his sponsors about how they could promote their product at the wedding.

As Brian talked business, Kari wandered away and walked over to the digidestin. She was relieved to see TK wasn't here, yet at the same time, she was disappointed he wasn't here. A few short seconds later, Kari realized Tai wasn't here either.

"Sora, where's Tai?" she asked

"Oh, he had to take care of some business. He'll be here shortly"

---

"What are you doing here?" TK asked, surprised to see Tai standing in his doorway.

"What are _ya_doing here?" Tai reversed the question

"I...live here?" answered TK

"No, I mean what are ya still doing here? Why aren't ya at the rehearsal dinner?" Tai clarified

"That's tonight?" TK asked outloud, pretending he forgot. "Why aren't _you_at the rehearsal dinner?"

"Stop throwing the questions back at me TK. What are ya still doing here?" Tai sternly said

"I wasn't invited to the rehearsal dinner. There, are you happy now?" TK angrily answered

"Just because ya weren't invited doesn't mean ya can't come." Tai replied

"Um...kinda Tai. That's the whole point of invitations" said TK

"Don't talk back to me mister." said Tai. TK looked at him confused. "Sorry, when ya have three kids it's kinda a habit. Anyway, I want ya to come with me to the rehearsal dinner."

"That's alright Tai. I'll pass. Formal gatherings really aren't my thing" TK politely declined

"I'm not taking no for an answer TK." replied Tai

"I'm not going to a party I wasn't invited to. If Kari really wanted me there, I would have gotten an invitation" TK definitely said

"Well consider me your invitation. Now go get dressed. We're late the way it is"

---

"There ya are! I've looking for ya" Brian said to his finance and the digidestin "I want ya to come meet some people"

Brian led Kari across the room to three guys in the same suit and tie. Brian introduced her to them. They were one of Brian's sponsor representatives. Kari put on a smile but inside she was dying with boredom. Kari pretended to be interested in what they were saying but she wasn't. She looked around the room at the guests. One tall, blond guest caught her eye. She could recognize him from a mile away. Kari pretended to laugh to herself to make it look like she was having a good time.

TK followed Tai into the rehearsal hall. He was nervous about seeing Kari again. What would he say to her? He didn't know what to do. When he got to the hall, he immediately scanned the room for Kari. TK found the digidestin right away. When he saw Kari wasn't with them, he continued looking for her. He found her completely across the room from the digidestin. He could see she was having a good time. He didn't want to bother or upset her so he walked over to the digidestin.

"Hey guys" TK greeted the gang

"TK! I never thought I'd see you here!" Jake happily said

"Neither did I" TK truthfully replied back, "Did ya guys already eat?"

"Yeah, ya missed out. It was really good" answered Davis

"He's only saying that because he catered" Yolie chimed in

"But none-the-less it still tasted really good Davis" said Mimi

"Thanks Mimi" Davis replied

Suddenly the lights started to turn off one by one. Everyone to turned to see Brian and Kari standing at the front of the room. All but one light was left one so everyone could see what Brian and Kari had to say.

"Thank ya everyone for coming tonight. We hope ya'll come to the wedding tomorrow to see us get married. Before ya'll go, a very special friend of ours put together a video for us and we'd like to share with ya'll. We know ya'll couldn't be with us when I proposed to this beautiful girl standing next to me but thanks to our friend Chris, ya'll can!" Brian explained to the guests. Two of Brian's pit crew members ran up behind the couple and pulled down a giant, white projector screen. Another one of Brian's pit crew members set up the computer and projector and lined it up to the screen. "We hope ya'll enjoy it!"

Brian and Kari took their seats in the front row as the video started to play. The video began with the song "Better Together" by Jack Johnson and was followed by childhood pictures of Kari and Brian as they grew up. The slide show video ended with was the memorable Daytona 500 Brian won and proposed to Kari. She had seen this race a million times. Kari looked over at Brian. He had seen this race just as many times as Kari. Brian mouthed every word Mike, Larry and Darrell said, he had this entire race memorized.

"That is one happy driver right there. Over to you Matt.." Kari could still remember Steve Byrnes saying those exact words

"I also want to thank one more person"

Kari could hear someone leaving from the back of the room. She looked over at Brian whose eyes were glued to the screen. Kari looked behind her around to see TK leaving the room. TK couldn't stand to see Brian propose to Kari. He didn't need to see the rest of the video, he had seen enough. Kari waited a minute before she got up. She told Brian she was going to the bathroom but he didn't seem to care. He couldn't take his eyes off the screen.

Kari walked out of the room and down the hallway looking for TK. Her high heeled shoes clicked and clacked as she walked. When she couldn't find TK, her heart sank. She didn't know what made her follow him but she was disappointed she couldn't find him. Kari slowly turned around and walked back to the rehearsal room when someone grabbed her arm. She forcefully whipped around to see TK. Her heart quicken at the sight of his face. Just seeing him made her feel warm and fuzzy. The last time he grabbed her like that, she slapped him and ran away. This time she got lost into this deep blue eyes. This time she didn't want to run away. This time she wanted to kiss him and she did. This time she didn't resist his kiss, she embraced it.

TK and Kari passionately and lustfully kissed in the hallway. No words were exchanged, just hard and sweet kisses. TK pushed her up against the wall, never breaking their contact. Suddenly, the fear of someone catching them overwhelmed Kari.

"TK," Kari whispered as TK started to kiss her neck, "Not here"

TK stopped his kisses and looked into her ruby red eyes. He understood her fear and trepidation. He looked both ways down the hallway and saw no one. TK grabbed her wrist and led her down the hallway. He stopped outside of the first door they came to and opened it. TK picked Kari up bridal style and carried her into the dark room. Before TK closed the door, Kari realized they were in the coat room. Kari wasn't sure what was going to happen next but she wanted to make sure she didn't get caught. She locked the door before TK came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her slender waist.

They were alone in the dark room. TK didn't need the light to find Kari's lips, they had already found his. Thoughts of Brian or her wedding in sixteen hours never crossed her mind as her hands traveled under TK's white polo shirt. Memories of that lustful night six months ago filled Kari's mind. Oh how she wanted that again. Apparently, so did TK.

---

About twenty minutes later, Kari sat on the floor fully dressed brushing her hair with her hand in the dark. She felt horrible for cheating on Brian for a second time. She started to regret her lustful deed with TK yet at the same time she didn't.

"I better get back..." Kari slowly whispered to her ex-boyfriend

"Kari" TK whispered back as he reached out for her, "Please stay"

"I'm so sorry TK. This was a mistake. I should have stopped things before they went too far" Kari sadly replied, "I'm getting married tomorrow and this is not how a fiancee should act. I've made a commitment to Brian and I'm going to honor it from now on."

Kari got up from the cold floor and slowly walked to the door. When she found the doorknob, she slowly unlocked it. Kari carefully and quietly opened the door and stuck her head outside to see if anyone was coming. When the coast was clear, she walked out of the coat room and walked back to her seat next to Brian. He hadn't even noticed she had left. Someone had started the video over and was showing pictures of the 'happy' couple. Brian looked over at his fiancee and gave her a smile. Kari forced one back and quickly looked away. She felt horrible about what she had just done. She had to be the worst fiancee in the world. Brian deserved so much better than her. _'From this moment on, I'm going to be faithful and completely devoted to Brian. For better or for worse, in sickness and in health until death do us part.' _

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pandabear24- PLEASE review! Only a few chapters left!


	22. Your Love Is A Lie

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- **THANK YOU **to everyone who reviewed so far!! Ya'll rock my socks off!

Ken- panabear24 **DOES NOT**own Digimon, Nascar or Degrassi! Please don't sue!

pandabear24- Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Your Love Is A Lie'  
(don't own Simple Plan either)

Kari stood on a small stool in front of the mirror in a small room in the back of the church. Her hair was perfectly curled. Her makeup was perfectly done. Her dress perfectly fit her body. It was a sweetheart dress with side straps,a tight corset that showed off her slender waist and a slight flare and poof at the bottom of the dress. Today was suppose to be her happy day, yet she didn't feel very happy. She couldn't help but think about last night. It replayed over and over and over again in her mind. Was she making the right decision?

Sora was helping Mimi and the other assistants with Kari's dress. They were making last minute adjustments to make sure everything looked perfect. Sora could tell Kari was thinking hard about something. She could read Kari like a book.

"Ya know, for a bride on her wedding day... ya don't look very happy hun" Sora said as she pinned the bottom of Kari's dress up

"I am very happy" Kari lied and gave Sora a fake, yet convincing smile

"Are ya thinking about TK?" Sora calmly asked as she took another pin out and repinned it.

Kari quickly looked down at Sora. Her eyes nearly bulging out of her eyes. Did Sora possibly know what happened between her and TK last night? '_She couldn't know! Everyone was in the banquet room watching the slideshow.' _Kari tried to calm herself down

"Ya know, I always thought ya would be getting married to TK." Sora coolly stated

Kari's heart rate was starting quicken. Her body was starting to tense up. Sora obviously knew something. Kari hated playing mind games with Sora. She looked Sora directly in the eye, trying to figure out what she knew.

"I never thought ya would be getting married to a Nascar driver." Sora continued to say. "Brian is such a nice guy. I wonder what ever made him attracted to you"

Mimi started to look back and forth between Sora and Kari. She was beyond confused yet she continued to work on Kari's dress. Kari kept looking Sora in the eyes, begging her stop. She didn't want to hear this anymore.

"It's not like ya have been the most faithful fiancee in the world" said Sora as she casually took another pin out and repinned the dress.

Mimi and the assistants' heads perked up. They suddenly became very interested in the one-sided conversation. Yet they continued to work like they weren't listening. Kari's face became red and she was so embarassed.

"Everybody out!" Kari angrily said. Mimi and the assistants looked up at her and sadly walked out of the room. They desperately wanted to know what Sora meant by her last comment. Sora turned around in her deep red bridesmaid dress and followed Mimi out of the room. "Except you Sora"

Sora turned around with an evil smirk on her face. She slowly walked back to Kari. Kari still stood on her pedestal in front of the mirror. She crossed her arms and angrily stared down Sora.

"What the hell Sora? What are ya trying pull?" Kari angrily asked

"I'm trying to stop this mess before it goes too far!" Sora answered

"Well thanks for your support!" Kari scarastically replied

"Oh please Kari. Ya can knock off the little charade! Ya can't honestly tell me ya love Brian. I can see it written all over your face. Ya still love TK" said Sora

"I do not!" Kari angrily retorted

"Ya do too! I know that every bride is nervous as hell on their wedding day. God knows I was, but every bride is always excited to get married! And ya look like some one just ran over your cat!" Sora said, "Brian is a nice guy. He deserves someone who loves him with all their heart, not part of it"

"Well newsflash Sora! I do love Brian with all my heart and we're getting married in...." Kari stopped to look up at the clock on the wall. "Less than fifteen minutes"

"Kari, stop lying to yourself! Your love is a lie. Save yourself a divorce and an embarrassing cover shot in _People Magazine_and just call off the wedding while ya still have time!" Sora begged her little sister-in-law

"Are ya crazy? Do ya know how many people flew all the way here from America to see us get married? They came for a wedding and a wedding is what they are going to get!" Kari angrily replied

"Would Brian still marry ya if he knew about ya and TK?" asked Sora

"How do ya know about last night?" Kari defensively asked

"LAST NIGHT? I was talking about six months ago! Kari! I can't believe ya! Cheating on your fiance once is bad enough, but twice?" Sora exclaimed

"I know, I know...wait! How do ya know about six months ago?" Kari desperately wanted to know. If Sora knew about that, how many other people knew?

"That morning when we were suppose to leave Japan and fly back home, I woke up extra early to pack. Around 4:30 that morning, I called ya to see if ya were up but ya didn't answer. So I called again and again, hoping ya would wake up to your phone. When ya didn't answer, I sent ya several text messages. When ya still didn't answer, I went up to your room and knocked on the door. When ya didn't answer, I started to pound on the door but ya still didn't answer. So I went back to my room to get the extra hotel room key for your room. When I finally opened your door, I saw you guys naked on the bed! It was kinda obvious after that" Sora explained

"And ya didn't wake me up? I almost missed that flight!" Kari angrily replied

"And how awkward would that have been?" Sora sarcastically said. "Kari, its apparent ya and TK are still very attracted to each other. Have ya and Brian gone as far as ya and TK?"

"No" Kari quietly and sheepishly replied, "I was kinda saving myself for marriage"

Sora shook her head in disappointment. "TK loves ya so much. He would do anything for ya. I bet ya didn't even know he went to Charlotte right after you moved away to look for ya." said Sora as she watched Kari's eyes bulge out in shock, "Kari, listen to me. Go out there and call off this wedding. Ya and Brian weren't meant to get married."

"I can't." Kari stubbornly replied

"Yes ya can!" Sora cheered her on

"No, I can't!" Kari exclaimed. "Any minute now, me and Brian are going to get married. We are going to fly back America and live happily ever after! And I will never see TK ever again. Brian will never have to know what happened last night and six months ago"

"Kari!" Sora said in a disappointed voice. She was beyond frustrated with her.

"Kari" Angewomon said as she popped her head in the room, "Are you ready?"

Kari turned around and looked at herself one last time in the mirror. She smiled at herself as she flipped her veil down over her face. "Yes"

----

Kari stood in the back of the church. She watched as her wedding party were starting to line up. She closed her eyes to help calm herself down. After her little argument with Sora, she couldn't wait to get married to Brian. Just knowing Sora was against the marriage, it gave her an extra motivation to get married. She was going to risk her happiness to just piss Sora off. Kari strongly believed if she had never met TK, Brian would have been her soul mate. She took a deep breath and zoned everyone out and mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do. _'I can do this'_

"Where's Tai?" some one asked

Kari immediately snapped out of her meditation and tried to figure out what was going on. Angewomon was frantically running around asked people if they had seen Tai. Kari looked around herself to see if she could find him.

"Kari, have ya seen Tai" Angewomon asked finally asked Kari after she had gotten the same answer from everyone else

"No" Kari answered. She angrily groaned. "Does anybody have a phone?"

The groomsmen patted their tuxes to see if they had their phone. In a day and age when everybody had a cell phone, luck was against Kari when none of the guys had their cell phone with. Kari was sure none of the girls had their phones either since there are such limited places to hold a phone in a bridesmaid dress. Sora slowly walked up to Kari and lifted the bottom of her dress. She reached down and grabbed her cell phone that hung securely from her ankle bracelet. Sora kindly offered the phone to Kari and Kari snatched it out of her hand. She dialed Tai's number as fast as she could.

"Where are you?" Kari asked as soon as he answered

"Don't worry Kari, I'll be there in like fifteen minutes. I promise!" Tai quietly said on the phone and hung up before Kari could even respond.

To say the least, Kari was fuming. First Sora pissed her off and now Tai was late to his only sister's wedding. She turned around to see her wedding party waiting for her to tell them what to do.

"Tai said he'd be here in fifteen minutes" Kari told everyone as calmly as she could

----

Tai climbed the stairs of TK's apartment building. He was only halfway up when Tai started to get tired. _'No wonder why TK's in such good shape' _he thought to himself. In his hand he clutched an invitation to Kari's wedding. Tai knew there was no way he would be able to convince TK to come to the wedding. He hoped an actual invitation would change his mind. When he finally reached TK's apartment, he slid the invitation under the door and loudly pounded on the old wooden door. Tai bolted down the stairs when he heard TK walking towards the door.

TK was taking an afternoon nap on his parent's old lazy boy recliner when he was abruptly waken by a loud pounding noise. When the pounding didn't stop, he reluctantly got up and walked over to the door. He slowly opened the door only to find no one standing outside his doorway. _'Stupid neighbor kids' _TK thought to himself. It wasn't unusual for TK to open his door to find a nice "surprise" outside waiting for him from them. TK closed his door and started walking back to his chair. As TK walked away, something on the floor caught his eye.

TK bent down to pick up the bright blue invitation. How did he miss this when he walked to the door? He looked at the card to see it was an invitation to Kari's wedding. He was surprised that Kari would even invite him. He looked at the picture of Kari and Brian. He couldn't help but stare at Kari. She looked absolutely beautiful in the picture but he quickly frowned as he saw Brian standing next to her. As much as he kinda wanted to go, he couldn't stand to see Brian marry Kari. He loved her to much to see someone else marry her. As he walked back to his recliner, he threw the invitation in the garage.

TK tried to fall asleep again. He tossed and turned in his chair. He kept thinking about Kari and the wedding. Did Kari really want him there? He wasn't sure but it wasn't even five minutes after he threw the invitation away he knew what he had to do. TK didn't care if what he was wearing was wedding appropriate. He didn't have time to change, he had a wedding to go to.

----

Every pew in the church was filled. Kari's heart began to pound faster as she heard the pianist play those famous notes every bride wants to hear. Kevin, her dad, stood on her left and Tai stood on her right as they stood in the back of the church to escort her down the isle. Kari took one last deep breath and started walking down the long isle.

Kari couldn't help but feel deja vu all over again. She walked halfway down the isle before she realized this was her dream. The dream that she always dreamed since she was a senior in high school. Everything was the same, her hair, her dress, the church, the people. Thankfully this time there was no awfully sounding alarm clock to wake her up, she didn't cry and she could perfectly see Brian waiting for her down the isle. He had a huge smile on his face as he watched her walk towards him. _'Brian must have been the guy in my dream.' _she thought to herself. As she walked closer to him, she felt more confident in what she was doing.

Before she reached the end of the isle, Kevin and Tai gave Kari a hug. They sat down together in the front pew next to Karen. Kari smiled as she turned around and walked the last few feet to Brian. Brian reached out to her and escorted her towards the priest. Kari could tell he was very excited. She wished she was excited as Brian. The music finally stopped and the priest began the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to join together Brian and Kari in holy matrimony. Which is an honorable estate, therefore, it is not to be entered into unadvisedly, or lightly, but reverently and soberly."

Kari didn't have to see but she could feel Sora's eyes gazing down upon her as she heard the priest say those last few words.

"If any one can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace."

Kari watched Brian's eyes. They wandered around the church. Kari started to look around too. She quickly glanced over her shoulder at Sora. If there was anyone who would speak up, Kari knew it would have been Sora.

The priest paused for a few seconds. "Since there are no objections, let us continue with the ceremony."

"I do!"

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pandabear24- Ooooo....I love a good cliff hanger! **Please Review**!!!


	23. I Still Love You

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- Thanks again to everyone who reviewed!!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon, Nascar or Degrassi. Please don't sue!

pandabear24- On with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'I Still Love You'  
(Don't own Alexz Johnson either)

"If any one can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace." The priest paused for a few seconds. When no one said anything he continued. "Since there are no objections, let us continue with the ceremony."

"I do!"

Everyone in the church turned around to see a young man standing in the doorway in the back of the church. The priest closed his ceremonial book and took a seat to the side. Brian looked at the young man and then back at Kari. He was waiting for explanation as to why he was here at their wedding. Kari was too mortified to say anything. She stood next to Brian with her eyes bulging out and her mouth hanging open. This part of the wedding was definitely NOT in her dream.

"I do" he repeated again

Although he was a little late, TK walked down the isle towards Brian and Kari. He was wearing a white beater underneath an unbuttoned bright blue Hawaiian polo shirt and khaki shorts with sandals. He looked like he just rolled out of bed but he didn't care. When he reached the end of the isle, he stopped and looked up at Kari. She didn't look very happy but he had to try just one last time to win her back. Sora reached for her cell phone that hung from her ankle bracelet and pressed the number one speed dial.

"Hello? This is Sora." she whispered, "Tell the cater don't open the caviar, don't open the caviar!"

"Kari, I love you too much to see you get married to someone else. I know, somewhere in your heart you still love me. I have lost you twice before but I don't want to lose you again." said TK. The wedding guests in the pews whispered among themselves. "So, is it going to be Brian or me?"

"What?" Kari asked in disbelief. She couldn't believe TK was at her wedding, making her choose between him and the man she was about to marry.

"I still love you Kari Kamiya. I have always loved you and I know you love me. I knew if I didn't try to win your heart back one last time before you got married, I would regret it for the rest of my life. So, who's it going to be? Me or Brian?" TK said as he stood next to Brian

"Kari...?" Brian fearfully said, he hoped she had enough common sense to choose him

"Kari?" said Angewomon worriedly, she was afraid she would get overwhelmed and freak out.

"Kari?" Tai asked concerned for his baby sister.

"Kari?" the priest asked when he walked over to her, "What do you want to do?"

Kari didn't know what to do. She deeply loved both of these men. She looked up at Brian and then at TK and then at Brian again and then at TK again. They eagerly waited for her decision. Half the people in the church wanted to see Kari choose TK and the other half wanted to see Kari choose Brian. Her heart was torn. She was starting to get overwhelmed and starting to panic. She became flustered. Her head hurt and her heart ached. Kari wanted to runaway and get away from it all. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, hoping she would just disappear.

When Kari opened her eyes again, she was disappointed. Brian and TK still stood in front of her. The congregation was still sitting in their pews. But something wasn't quite right. They weren't moving. They stood and sat perfectly still as if they were statues. Kari stared at TK and Brian, waiting for one of the to blink. After a few seconds, Kari waved her hand in front of their eyes waiting for them to snap out of their daydream but they didn't. Kari looked at Angewomon, Sora and the rest of her wedding party. They all stood perfectly still too.

"Am I going crazy or did time just stop?" Kari said quietly to herself.

Suddenly, Kari's surroundings started to fade away. The church, the people, the priest, TK, Brian, and the ground she was standing on slowly started to disappear into thin air. "What the hell is going on?" Kari said to herself as she watched everything disappear into a white light. The church and everything in it was replaced with familiar grass and oddly shaped trees. Kari closed her eyes and blinked several times to help her believe what was going on was real.

"Why am I in the Digi World?" she asked herself

There was no church to be seen. Kari stood alone in her wedding dress in the middle of the Digital World. The Digi World's sunny blue skies immediately were replaced by dark, deary storm clouds.

"Great, this is exactly how I pictured my wedding would go!" Kari scarastically said

She wanted to cry. She was alone and scared and it looked like it was going to rain any second. Her hair, make-up and not to mention her dress would all be ruined by the rain. Bright flashes of lightning raced across the sky as a long snake like digimon popped in and out of the clouds.

"Only I would get stuck in the Digi World without Gatomon when an evil digimon decides to attack me!" Kari complained as she watched the digimon continue to pop in and out of the clouds.

The transparent digimon was the biggest and longest digimon Kari had ever seen. It's body was covered in chains and small wings. It's face masked by a blue and yellow shield. The longer Kari looked at the mysterious digimon, the more it looked like the Kyoto Dragon. Finally, the digimon stopped moving and from its position in the sky faced Kari.

"It's about time I get to meet the famous Child of Light" the mysterious digimon said

"Who are ya? Kari bravely asked, "What do ya want with me?"

"I am Azulongmon, the guardian of the eastern hemisphere of the Digital World and keeper of the spheres of Light and Hope" the digimon introduced himself

"So you're not gonna hurt me?" Kari sheepishly asked

"No," Azulongmon chuckled, "I am a good digimon, I wouldn't hurt a Flymon"

"But why am I here? What do ya want with me?" asked Kari

"To help you fulfill the prophecy you are destined for" Azulongmon answered

"Prophecy? You mean the same prophecy Izzy was telling me about a few days ago?" Kari asked the wise digimon

"That would be the one." answered Azulongmon. "You see, I preserve the balance of Light and Darkness here in the Digital World. Many years ago, the Dark Masters sealed me and my powers and they shaped the Digital World to fit their needs."

"That was twenty years ago!" Kari said to herself

"Has it been that long? Anyway, the Light and the Darkness became unbalanced allowing evil digimon and evil forces like Daemon and the Dark Ocean to try to take over the Digital World." Azulongmon explained

"But what does that have to do with me?" asked Kari

"It was your Light and TK's Hope that broke the seal and freed me. Yet I am not completely free and the Digital World is not completely balanced. These heavy chains the Dark Masters gave me interfere with my powers. There was a time about ten years ago when I was almost freed of these awful chains and then you moved away from Japan and TK. Because of that, the Light was weakened which made it easy for the Darkness to take over. Just like the first time you moved to America, Daemon became powerful and tried to take over the Digital World and the second time you moved away, other digimon began to slip into your world and cause trouble." Azulongmon answered

"So what do I do?" Kari asked the mystical digimon

"Do not lose the light inside" Azulongmon vaguely answered

"What is the light inside?" asked Kari

"Hope." Azulongmon answered, "Because when you and TK are together, the Light gives Light to the Digital World and the Hope continues to shine."

"So... you're saying I should choose TK?" Kari asked

"In a nut shell, yes. You two are destined for each other. With your powers combined, you would free me of these heavy chains and the Digital World will be safe from the powers of Darkness from taking over until death do you part. By then, there will be a new generation of digidestin to protect and if need be save the Digital World." explained Azulongmon

"What happens if I don't choose TK?" asked Kari

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that." Azulongmon chuckled and disappeared as quickly as he came.

Kari stood alone in the Digital World again trying to sort out the information she just received. She couldn't believe it. She had heard it countless times that her and TK would end up together but never imagined it was a freakin prophecy! Slowly the green grass and the oddly shaped trees started to fade away and disappear from sight. Slowly, the church, the people, the priest, Brian and TK started to reappear. They still stood perfectly still just like they did before they faded away the first time.

"Kari, what do you want to do?" the priest asked her, nearly startling her. From the corner of her eye, she could see people moving, breathing, and blinking again.

"If I may, I'd like to say something"

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pandabear24- I don't know about ya'll but I really like this chapter. What did ya'll think? Only **TWO** chapters left! Please Review!!


	24. Should've Said No

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- **THANK YOU** to my faithful reviewer, **Lord Pata**, who was the only person to comment on the last chapter! =(  
Hopefully this chapter brings out more of a response than the last one...

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon, Nascar, or Degrassi! Please don't sue!

pandabear24- Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**'Should've Said No'  
(Don't own Taylor Swift either)

"Kari, what do you want to do?" the priest asked her, nearly startling her. From the corner of her eye, she could see people moving, breathing, and blinking again.

"If I may, I'd like to say something" the priest nodded his head in approval. She turned to TK first. TK's eye's lit up with hope. He was confident she was going to pick him after all "TK, ya are such a loving and caring person. I pushed ya away for years and years and ya kept fighting for my affections. Ya still loved me when I didn't always love ya back. I don't know too many guys who would go to Charlotte, North Carolina to find their ex-girlfriend." TK's eyes widened. He didn't know she knew that. "I've treated ya really bad these past ten years. Ya deserve someone nicer, kinder, and more loving than me"

TK's sad eyes looked away. He turned away, he didn't want to see Kari choose Brian after all.

"Brian, ya know how to make a girl feel special." Kari began to say, "Ya have been so kind and loyal to me. I never had to worry about anything when I wasn't at the track with ya." Brian's smile got bigger and bigger. "But I don't know if I can say the same about me." Brian's smile quickly disappeared. "It took me ten years to realize I gave my heart away a long time ago and I never really got it back. Ya deserve someone who loves ya with their whole heart and not part of it."

"What?" Brian asked confused. She didn't choose either of them!

"It took a few people to help me realize that I was making a huge mistake today." Kari quickly paused and made a quick glance at Sora. Sora caught her eye and gave her a supportive smile. "I've been lying to myself these past few years. There were some people I thought I hated and I couldn't have been more wrong. I so strongly wanted to believe that I didn't love them anymore that I started to believe it after all but my heart knew better. It took me ten years to realize I'm still in love, but not in love with ya."

"What?" Brian started to become angry. "Then why did ya say 'Yes' when I asked ya to marry me then?"

"I'm so sorry Brian. I should've said no. At the time I thought I loved ya and only ya but that trip back to Japan six months ago made me realize I was lying to myself. I'm so sorry Brian. I never meant for this to happen."

Brian dejectedly turned away. He was so pissed off. He wanted to beat the shit out of TK for ruining his wedding, but he kept his emotions in check. Brian knew a fight now, in front of hundreds of family and friends, would only make things worse. He turned back to look at Kari.

"Grandma always said, 'If ya truly love someone, ya learn to let them go'. I still love ya Kari but I want ya to be happy. This just sucks" said Brian as he hung his head in defeat.

"Thank ya so much Brian. Ya have been such a big part of my life and I have loved every second of it. I hope we can remain friends?" Kari asked

Brian nodded his head yes. Kari smiled as she kissed his cheek. She turned around to see TK and the entire congrigation behind him. Kari's smile grew bigger as she looked TK in the eyes. "I'm sorry it took this long" Kari apologized and kissed him in front of God and everybody in the church.

"It was worth waiting for" TK replied as took her hand and lead her back down the isle. He opened the church doors and they ran down the steps into the street. The wedding party and interested wedding guests followed them out of the church. They stood on the steps of the church as they watched Kari get on the back of TK's dirtbike

"When did TK get a dirtbike?" Sora asked

"I don't know" answered Tai as they watched the couple drive away into the sunset.

"TK, I didn't know you had a dirtbike" Kari yelled into his ear

"I don't, I had to temporarily borrow it to get to the wedding on time" TK lied. When TK finally decided he wanted to go to the wedding, he hopped in his car to find it was out of gas. The only working vehicle in the neighborhood was the neighbor's prankster kid's dirtbike. "So where are we going to?"

"As long as I'm going somewhere with ya, I don't really care"

TK drove them down to the beach. It was an unusally warm day in December. The two walked hand in hand on the warm, snowless, sandy beach. When they got tired, they sat and watched the sunset together.

"TK, I'm so sorry for how I treated ya these past ten years. I was a stubborn bitch and I feel absolutely horrible about everything. I don't understand how ya can still love a person like me after all these years. It amazes me that don't hate me for everything I've put ya through." said Kari

"Kari, I could never hate you cause I love you" TK replied

Kari remembered hearing this phrase before. It was not the first time TK had said this to her. They had been through so much together. It had finally hit her the kind of love he had for her. It could not compare to the love Brian had for her.

"I love ya too TK"

TK reached into his khaki shorts and pulled out a little velvet black box. Kari eyed the box very carefully and then looked back up at him. Her heart began to beat faster and faster as he slowly began to open it.

"I meant to give this to you about ten years ago." TK said as he showed the contents of the box to Kari. It was Kari's dream engagement ring, the ring she always dreamed of. He had kept it after all these years. Even though the ring brought him painful memories of their break-up, it also had good memories of their relationship. After all these years, TK couldn't bring himself to through it away or pawn it off for money to pay the bills."I don't expect you to say yes now or anything, but maybe a few months or years down the road, maybe we could get married?"

Kari looked at the beautiful pink, heart-shaped ring and back at TK. She couldn't believe this was happening. She went from almost getting married to getting proposed to in only a matter of a few hours. It had been a crazy past six months, but she was finally truly happy. Kari was so happy, her eyes began to tear up. She couldn't imagine spending her life with anyone else. She smiled as tears ran down her face.

"Yes"

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pandabear24- Only one chapter to go!!!!!!! Epiloge!! Yay!!!


	25. Forever and Always

**Summary: **It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?

pandabear24- This is sadly the very last chapter in my TK-Kari trilogy. **THANK YOU** to my loyal readers and to everyone who reviewed! You guys rock my face off!

Ken- pandabear24 **DOES NOT **own Digimon, Nascar, or Degrassi! Please don't sue!

pandabear24- Now on with the story!

**Hard to Love You  
**Forever and Always  
(don't own Taylor Swfit either)  
(05-30-09)

_Five Years Later  
_

"Go Brian!" a little blond haired girl cheered

"And Brian Vickers leads the field out of turn four and he wins the Daytona 500!" Nascar commentator Mike Joy exclaimed

TK and Kari sat on their couch together as their four year old daughter, Hope, jumped up and down in excitement.

"Brian won, Brian won!" Hope excitedly exclaimed

"Shhhh, you have to be quiet Hope. You're gonna wake your little brother up" Kari quietly said and the little girl obediently obeyed. "Why don't you go play with Gatomon and Patamon in the backyard?"

"Ok" the almost four year old girl replied as she walked out of the living room and to the backyard.

After Kari's almost marriage to Brian, she moved back to Odiaba. She found a job as a kindergartner teacher and began teaching again. TK and Kari began dating again, taking their relationship slow. They got married a few months later in a small wedding in front of all their friends and families. TK went back to college and got a four year degree in Journalism. His career brought them back to America and he landed a job as a Nascar writer thanks to the connections he made at the Nascar races all those years ago.

TK and Kari followed the racing schedule up until the birth of their first child, Hope. Once Hope was old enough, they traveled around the country together as a family. However, it wasn't long before they added another little one around the track. Tyler was born about forty races after Hope (A/N: That's a little over a year after Hope)

TK was skipping the first race of the new season to take care of pregnant wife again. Kari was due with their third child any day. With TK's steady income, they lived in a simple house in the suburbs of Charlotte. Despite the drama that lasted for ten years, Brian was one of their neighbors, along with many other Nascar drivers.

After getting dumped at the alter, Brian focused on his racing career. Kari felt terrible about everything and hooked him up with one of her friends, Becca. They have been dating for almost four years before Brian had just recently proposed to her, this time, it was more private than his first one.

Tai and Sora lived a few blocks away from TK and Kari. Every Tuesday night, their families get together and have a supper and game night. It was a great way for their kids to hang out and spend time with each other while the adults catched up on weekly events.

Matt had taken some time off from his rock star career to finally settle down with his supermodel girlfriend and get married. They had just found out they were expecting a little girl in a few months. With some help from Kari, Matt and TK patched things up in their relationship. Matt occasionally invites TK and Kari to his cabin in the mountains back in Japan during the holidays. TK is thrilled to be back on good terms with his older brother again.

Izzy and Mimi briefly separated after Kari's failed wedding to Brian. Mimi couldn't help but think there was something going on between Izzy and Kari. When Kari and TK got married, Mimi moved back into their 5th Avenue apartment. The separation made their marriage stronger as they added a third child to their family.

Joe and Rebeckah are still very happily married. Joe won another Nobel Peace Prize for his most recient advancement in medicine. Joe was the doctor who found the cure for the dreaded Swine Flu epidemic.

Davis and Sarah moved to America so Davis could open another restaurant. His restaurant became very popular among the celebrities and it is the hottest place to be on Friday nights. The sudden fame of his restarant landed Davis a reality tv show. The show latest one season because Davis was sick of the cameras following him everywhere.

While everyone else was living in American, Ken and Yolie were very happy and very content in living in Japan. They came to visit everyone in America atleast once a year while they looked forward to everyone coming to visit them during the All School Reunion held every summer.

Jake went from Japan's hottest bachelor to Japan's hottest man. He suprised the media by getting married to his secret fiancee. He is still Japan's most popular basketball player but is considering retirement to settle down and start a family.

Cody got married to his girlfriend of four years, Lindsay. He was Japan's most famous lawyer, often representing famous celebrities. Cody and Lindsay are expecting their first child in a few months.

"Congratulations Brian on winning another Daytona 500 and recently getting engaged again!" said Nascar pit reporter Steve Byrnes.

"Thank you Steve! I have to thank God today. We had an amazing car out there. I also want to thank my sponsors, Red Bull, Toyota. I have to thank my family and my friends especially my finacee Becca whom I love very much." said Brian as he kissed Becca on the lips, "I can't believe I just won the Daytona 500!"

"Awww, I'm so proud of him!" Kari said as she smiled. "I'm glad things are going well for him."

"Me too" TK sincerely replied. Over the last few years, TK and Brian actually started to get along. They often hung out at the track late at night when Kari and Becca weren't with them on the weekends. "Ya know, I can't believe you were in victory lane six years ago and he proposed to you."

"Yeah, but I'm glad he did." said Kari

"_What?_" TK asked

"It's what led me to you. If he wouldn't have proposed me, I don't think you and I would have gotten back together. For all I know, I'd still be living in Tai and Sora's basement."

TK laughed and held Kari tighter in his arms. Since they have been married, TK and Kari haven't been happier. It was truly obvious, they were destined for each other. Their marriage freed Azulongmon of his chains and the Digi World and the real world have been trouble free.

"I love you so much Kari." said TK as he kissed his wife on the forehead

"I love you too." Kari replied, "Forever and always"

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pandabear24- **THE END**! I really hope everyone enjoyed this story, the last story in my TK-Kari trilogy. I am currently thinking of writing another story, it wouldn't be a trilogy but who knows. I never expected "Listen To Your Heart" (my first story in the TK-Kari trilogy) to become a trilogy either! **Please Review! **


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